


We Could Always Begin Again

by Kolivans (arka_r)



Series: Wanderers [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Dads of Marmora (Voltron), Family Feels, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Orphan Keith (Voltron), POV Keith (Voltron), They/Them Pronouns Kolivan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-06-16 10:00:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15434577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arka_r/pseuds/Kolivans
Summary: Keith meets a stranger on his dad’s grave.AU where Keith meets Kolivan after his dad died.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> title is from Carl Sagan 'We Are Wanderers'
> 
> "When the drought was prolonged, or when an unsettling chill lingered in the summer air, our group moved on. We sought a better place. We could always begin again."
> 
> many thanks to my beta, [revasnaslan](https://revasnaslan.tumblr.com)
> 
> art on this fic are done by me, unless stated otherwise

 

When Keith was seven, he learned about a lot of things. Like the name of planets in the Solar System, for example, or that a human’s eyes didn’t _normally_ glow in the dark—that when people died, they would never come back.

 

Heath Hawkins died six months ago. People said he was a hero because he saved people from a burning building. But sometimes… _sometimes_ Keith couldn’t help but feel a little bit bitter. After all, his dad left him alone, just like his mom left him all those years ago.

 

Keith didn’t even remember what his mom looked like. His dad told him that he had still been a baby when she left. All that was left of her was a strange knife with strange sigil on its hilt. They didn’t even have her photo, or if they did, it was lost in the fire that killed Dad. Because of this, sometimes Keith wondered if his parents got divorced when he was a baby. Couples broke up. It was normal.

 

Sometimes, though, Keith wondered if _he_ was the reason they broke up.

 

Keith shivered slightly. The days were starting to get cold, he noticed. It was well into Fall and the sun was starting to dip into the horizon. He should be home soon.

 

“See you tomorrow, Dad”, Keith said as he stood.

 

As he trudged to the exit gate, his eyes caught a mysterious figure standing in front of his dad’s grave. Keith wondered briefly who they were—his dad’s friend, maybe?

 

—

 

After his dad died, Keith was put into the foster care of Layla and Jamie Brown, who specializes in caring for kids with ‘special needs’. Apparently, Keith was labeled as a child with ‘special needs’. Maybe it was because he would always freak out at the smallest sign of fire. Or maybe it was because he was really _physically_ weird. As if his double-jointedness wasn’t weird enough, his eyes would glow in the dark and his teeth would always grow back no matter how many times Johnny from his class punched them out.

 

“Keith, were you fighting again?” Layla asked as soon as Keith got into the house. Her hand was gentle as she tipped his chin up. “Let me see your teeth.”

 

Keith looked down at the dark specks of blood on his shirt and sighed dejectedly. “Johnny used the R-word”, he said and showed his missing incisor.

 

“Oh, well… If your tooth isn't growing back in a week, we’ll check up with the dentist, okay?” Layla tutted, even if both of them knew that it would regrow in several days. “Now, come along. Help me prepare dinner.”

 

Preparing for meals was always a messy affair at the Browns’ household. Between Keith’s pyrophobia and lactose intolerance, Mattie’s long list of allergies, Nina’s celiac, Layla’s need to eat _halal_ food, and Jamie’s love to experiment with her cooking, it was a miracle that they could whip up something remotely edible every time.

 

Tonight’s dinner was Indian chicken curry rice. He had never eaten anything with so much spice before living with the Browns, but Keith found that he liked it. The smell was really good, and his mouth was practically watering as he helped carrying the pot to the table.

 

Nina approached Keith before they sat down and gave Keith’s hand two squeezes—that meant ‘good morning/afternoon/evening’. Keith returned it with a smile before heaping chicken curry onto her plate. She scrunched her face and began to pick the broccoli and peas out.

 

“Keith, did you get me something weird?” Mattie asked with a toothy smile.

 

“I found a rock that looks like a duck at the graveyard", Keith answered, pulling said rock out of his pocket and showing it to Mattie.

 

“It looks like a platypus!" Mattie squealed in delight as he accepted it.

 

Keith shrugged. “Platypuses and ducks look the same to me.”

 

“Platypuses are mammals, though”, Nina piped up and Mattie laughed as Keith’s face turned red.

 

“Alright, no fighting at the table”, Layla tutted. “Mattie, put the rock away and go wash your hands before eating. Keith, it’s getting colder soon. If you still wanna visit your dad’s grave, start wearing your jacket, okay?”

 

Keith nodded at her and began to eat, eager to stuff his mouth with delicious curry.

 

While they ate, Layla asked how Keith and Nina’s school was, since Mattie hadn't started school yet. Keith let Nina ramble excitedly about space while he listened with half an ear, but Layla always pulled him back into the conversation. Layla praised him for his diligence when Keith told her he already finished his homework for the week, and Keith couldn’t help the blush from spreading on his face.

 

Jamie, Layla’s wife, came just as they were finished eating. Almost immediately, Nina latched herself to Jamie’s side and began hounding her questions about her work. Keith couldn’t help but listen to Jamie’s rambling raptly.

 

Keith was too embarrassed to admit, but he really liked Jamie. She worked as an astrophysicist at one of the Garrison’s observatories and she knew more about the stars than his dad could tell him. There was also the fact that she rocked leather boots and fingerless gloves and painted her nails black. In short, she was _really cool_.

 

“Hey, lil’ man”, Jamie greeted Keith and ruffled his hair, before moving towards Mattie and Nina with fake menacing expression on her face. “Alright, who wants some tickles!”

 

Mattie and Nina shrieked, but both of them made no move to run away. Keith watched from a feet away as Jamie tickled Mattie and Nina until the two of them dissolved into shrieky laughter. It wasn’t until Layla came back after doing the dishes and ushered them all to shower before bed.

 

—

 

The next day, he saw the mysterious figure again at the graveyard. They were _really_ tall, Keith noticed, probably taller than his dad. They wore some kind of dark cloak that shimmered weirdly and their hood was up; Keith couldn’t see their face from this distance.

 

Keith debated going to greet them, mostly because he really didn’t know them and they were dressed really weird. What if they were a creep? He had some basic self-defense technique that his dad taught him, but his dad also told him that the best defense was not to engage at all.

 

Eventually, his curiosity won out, and Keith approached the stranger. This close, he noticed that they were wearing a weird mask. Keith began to regret his decision but decided to push forward.

 

“Hello”, he greeted them. “Did you know my dad?”

 

The stranger turned their masked face to him, and Keith had a feeling that he was being scrutinized.

 

“Are you Keith Hawkins?” the stranger asked back. Their voice was weird, almost robotic.

 

Well, that wasn’t polite to answer a question with another question, but Keith nodded.

 

“I was told to get you and your father, but your father… he perished, didn’t he?” the stranger asked again.

 

Keith’s throat tightened up and his eyes prickled with tears, but he nodded again. “Uhh… who are…” he couldn’t finish his question.

 

“I am a friend of your mother”, the stranger answered anyway, and Keith felt his heart skip a beat. But the mysterious stranger wasn’t done talking. “She told me that Earth will no longer be safe and asked me to retrieve you both. Tell me, did the Galra kill your father?”

 

“Uh, no. He died in a fire.” Keith’s head was spinning—he had so many questions. His mom was still alive? Where was she now? Why didn’t she go and get him and his dad herself? Who was this stranger? Instead, he asked, “What’s a Galra?”

 

“A Galra—” the stranger paused. “You don’t know what Galra is? Your father didn’t tell you?”

 

Keith shook his head despite his confusion. His dad didn’t tell him a lot of things; his dad didn’t even tell him about his mom. He bit his lips, trying not to cry, but his tears seemed to fall off on its own.

 

The masked stranger crouched down and reached their arm towards him. That was when the warning siren in his mind went off.

 

“Leave me alone!” Keith screamed and slapped the hand away. He turned towards the gate and ran as fast as he could. It was easy to hide himself between people coming off work, thanks to his height. Still, just in case, he turned back to see if the weird stranger was chasing him; but then he ran into somebody.

 

Reeling, Keith stumbled back when strong hands caught him before he could fall. He wiped his eyes with his jacket sleeve to help him see better and saw Officer Lewis standing in front of him.

 

“Hey, you’re Heath’s kid—Keith, right?” Officer Lewis asked—he lived next door to Keith’s foster home and apparently also knew Keith’s dad too. Keith nodded. “What’s the matter? Why are you running off and crying?”

 

“There’s a creep on the graveyard”, Keith told him. “They’re tall and wearing mask and hood. I think you should check it out.”

 

“A masked, hooded creep, huh?” Officer Lewis looked alert immediately. “Alright, I’ll check it out. But you better run home now, before your moms get worried. It’s almost dark out.”

 

Keith nodded again and did as he was told.

 

—

 

He didn’t know if Officer Lewis checked the graveyard or if he did and found nothing there, but the next day came like everything else. There was no news about tall, mysterious stranger lurking on the graveyard, and his bullies were still being jerks. Even so, Keith decided to avoid the graveyard for a few days.

 

Life continued on.

 

If Jamie and Layla noticed his strange behavior, they didn’t say anything. But Keith overheard them talking about Mattie’s potential adopter, which of course followed by the talk about Nina’s potential adopter, and then Keith's.

 

“I’ve been thinking”, Jamie began with a heavy sigh. “I don't think we should let Keith be adopted. Because of his… _y'know_. Not everyone’s gonna be as welcoming.”

 

“That’s _exactly_ why we need to screen them”, Layla sounded upset. “There _has_ to be someone who will accept him, no matter what. Don't give up just yet.”

 

“I'm _not_ giving up!” Jamie insisted. “Just… Listen, Bee, there’s something _seriously wrong_ with that kid. No—not _that_ kind of wrong. Just… y'know, it’s literally _physically_ impossible to be born with tapeta lucida. Or unlimited teeth.”

 

“What do you mean?” Layla asked, voicing exactly what went through Keith’s head.

 

“ _I don’t know_ —that’s the thing”, Jamie answered weakly. “I asked around, but I just—I don’t want him to get hurt, y'know? _Heck_ , Bee, I love him so much—he went thru so much. I just want what's best for him, y'know?”

 

Keith felt his heart pounding hard in his ears. Slowly and as quietly as possible, he moved away from them, his body felt like floating. He didn't understand what they were talking about—or maybe he did, but he refused to understand it. He always knew there was something really, really wrong with him.

 

Layla and Jamie would always say that Keith was beautiful no matter what, that he was special, even though some kids from his school (like the aforementioned Johnny) would say that he was a freak, a mutant. Was that really what he was? A freak who could never be accepted?

 

Keith sobbed into his knees one last time before lifting his head up. His dad’s gravestone was staring back at him, quiet as ever. Keith felt another familiar pain stabbing him in the chest as he realized, once again, that his dad wouldn’t be able to hug him or tell him that everything would be alright.

 

It had been six months since his dad died. Soon, it would be seven.

 

Sometimes, Keith was gripped by intense fear that one day he no longer remembered how his dad’s voice sounded like or how his smile looked like. He knew it would happen one day. He already couldn't remember the way his dad smelled like. Even though he still remembered being enveloped by that comfortable scent as he slept, the memory of the scent was lost forever.

 

What if he would forget about his dad at all?

 

Keith was too busy trying not to cry again when the crunch of gravel pulled his attention back to his surrounding. Immediately, he remembered about the weird creep from yesterday. He was about to scream, but his own fear was completely gripping him.

 

“Please be at ease", the stranger said.

 

They sat a feet away from Keith, their hands raised in surrendering gesture. Their mask fizzled out and revealed a strange face— _not human_. It reminded him of a tiger or a cheetah, except this stranger’s skin (fur?) was blue.

 

“I realized that I did not introduce myself properly. My name is Kolivan. I’m here at Krolia’s request”, the stranger (alien?) introduced themself.

 

“… Krolia?” Keith mumbled out before he could stop himself.

 

Kolivan was quiet for a moment before they said with strained voice, “Please tell me, _at the very least,_ you know your mother’s name.”

 

Hesitantly, Keith shook his head. Kolivan sighed and pressed the spot between their eyebrows with their clawed thumb. Keith suddenly had an overwhelming urge to apologize, except he didn’t know what to apologize for. Not his fault that he didn’t know anything at all about his mom!

 

“Are you… really an alien?” Keith asked, his curiosity piqued. “My mom was friends with alien?”

 

“I guess from Human’s perspective, I am an alien. But…” Kolivan frowned even deeper, if that was even possible. “I don’t know how to put this nicely… Keith, so _is_ your mother.”

 

Keith ran over Kolivan’s words in his mind again, then again, then again before it finally clicked.

 

“My mom was an _alien?!_ ” he squeaked, wide-eyed. “But—but—how?? I mean— _huh_ …”

 

Actually, now that he thought about it, it made _a lot_ of sense. Everything that he overheard Jamie saying, it made a lot of sense. Jamie worked at the Garrison—she had to have suspected something. His freakishness, was that because his mom was an alien? Did that mean he was part-alien?

 

 _Don’t want him to get hurt_ , was what Jamie said. Was that what would happen to him if people knew he was part-alien?

 

“You seem to be accepting this rather quickly”, Kolivan said. Somewhat, Keith felt that it amused them. He frowned.

 

“How do I know you’re not making these things up?” he asked. “How do I know that you’re not some kind of weirdo in a fursuit?”

 

“What’s a ‘fursuit’?” Kolivan blinked, confused.

 

Keith shrugged. Out of every weird human stuff that Keith did _not_ want to explain to an actual alien, _that_ was the first thing on the list—but that meant he had to accept the fact that Kolivan was an alien.

 

“Do you really have a spaceship?” he asked.

 

Kolivan blinked again. “Of course.”

 

“Show me”, Keith demanded.

 

“Are you sure you want to go see my ship?” they asked.

 

Keith paused for a moment, before nodding hesitantly.

 

“Are you really, _really_ sure you want to go, _alone_ , with someone that you have yet come to trust, to see this so-called spaceship that _could be_ hypothetical, wherever it is parked?” Kolivan asked again.

 

It was Keith’s turn to blink. “Oh.”

 

Kolivan’s ears flicked—somehow, Keith felt like it was alien equivalent of an eyeroll—but then they stood up and their mask fizzled back into place. “Observe.”

 

And they, for the lack of better term, _disappeared_.

 

One moment, Kolivan was standing right in front of him; and the next, they were gone. Keith rubbed his eyes to make sure that it wasn’t some kind of trick or something, but Kolivan was really gone.

 

“Uhhh…” Keith looked around. The graveyard was empty as ever. There was no sign of anyone around, alien or not.

 

“I’m right here, Keith”, he heard Kolivan’s voice coming from his left. Keith reached forward, only for his hand to swipe at empty air.

 

“Not there, here”, Kolivan said again. Their voice came from behind him, this time. Keith turned and threw his weight forward—but again, Kolivan wasn’t there and he flopped to the ground.

 

Kolivan could easily kidnap him and make him invisible too, Keith realized—but they didn’t. They did this silly little game instead. Keith was hit by the realization that he was playing _hide-and-seek_ with an actual alien. It was just so weird.

 

And Keith was _determined_ to win.

 

Kolivan didn’t make it easy for him to find, though. Their footsteps were quiet as if their feet were not touching the ground at all—maybe they were, alien tech and all. For awhile, Keith really thought that Kolivan was already gone, leaving him alone and making him look like an idiot.

 

But then he saw a movement at the corner of his eye and noticed the way air seemed to shimmer, like the desert when it was really hot during the day.

 

Keith couldn’t help but grin and lunged at Kolivan, but Kolivan was still too fast for him and his hand caught empty air. Keith knew how to spot them now, though, so he ducked behind a gravestone and carefully tracked Kolivan’s movements.

 

Without a sound, he jumped over the gravestone and landed on top of Kolivan, who was still invisible. He felt a pair of arms supporting his weight and pressed him close to what he guessed was Kolivan’s chest.

 

“You got me", Kolivan chuckled as they reappeared with a fizzle. “Do you believe me now?”

 

“You’ve got an invisibility cloak!” Keith grinned wider.

 

“Well… it’s a prototype stealth and infiltration suit that can bend electromagnetic radiation and completely conceal heat signature of the wearer to make them completely undetectable—” Kolivan paused and gave Keith’s hair a quick ruffle. “But _essentially_ , yes, it's an invisibility cloak. I assume that humans don't have it?”

 

Keith shook his head and hopped off to the ground. “You're an alien!”

 

“The correct word is ‘Galra’", Kolivan chided gently.

 

“Was my mom a Galra too? Am I a Galra too?” Keith asked, starry-eyed.

 

“Well, you're part-Galra, it seems", Kolivan answered. “You didn’t seem to inherit any Galran traits, but that's not unheard of in hybrids.”

 

“My eyes can glow in the dark", Keith pointed at his own eyes.

 

“And human’s eyes don’t?” Kolivan asked. They sounded curious.

 

“Nu-uh”, Keith shook his head again. “And my hands can do this thingy.” He demonstrated by pulling his hand backwards until the tip of his middle finger touched his forearm. Most people would freak out or worry that he would break his hand, but Kolivan simply stroked their chin.

 

“Hmm, hypermobility… Rather uncommon, but your mother has it”, Kolivan mused. “Perhaps your appearance is not the only thing you inherited from her.”

 

Keith’s eyes widened.

 

His whole life he’d wondered about his mom; what was her name, what did she look like, what was she like. His father had kept his stories about her vague enough, though, and Keith wondered if it had something to do with his mom being an alien—a Galra, Kolivan said.

 

“How…” Keith bit his lips and hesitated. “Why didn’t my mom come to get me? I… When Dad died… I wished that she’d come and… and take me with her or something, I dunno.”

 

Kolivan’s face fell and something heavy dropped inside Keith’s stomach. Somewhat, he was already expecting this. It was too good to be true, after all…

 

“S-she died too… didn’t she?” Keith’s voice cracked. He was going to start crying again and, he hated it.

 

Kolivan looked like they were going to say something, but Keith’s phone began to buzz in his pocket. Keith hissed and took it out; it was a text from Jamie, asking him where he was and that he should go home soon.

 

Keith was torn. He still had so many questions, but he didn’t want Jamie to go looking for him and finding him with Kolivan. What if she tried to stop him from seeing Kolivan again? Even worse, what if the Garrison took Kolivan away?

 

“I need to go, but…” he looked up to Kolivan; he wanted to ask if they would still be around tomorrow to answer his questions, but his voice refused to work.

 

“We will meet again", Kolivan said with a soft smile, an expression that Keith didn't expect to see on their face.

 

That was reassuring, at least.

 

—

 

But he didn’t see Kolivan on the graveyard the next day, or the day after that.


	2. Chapter 2

"Keith, are you listening to me?” Jamie’s voice pulled him out of his daydreaming.

 

He seemed to be doing that a lot lately—daydreaming about the stars and life off of Earth. Maybe his meeting with Kolivan was actually a fever dream, a product of his wishful thinking that some nice stranger would come and take him away. As days went by without any sign of Kolivan, he was starting to question his memory more and more.

 

“C’mon, Keith. You’ve got to pick your Halloween costume”, Jamie urged. “Mattie and Nina already picked theirs, and they're gonna be the most perfect duo of a witch and her black cat.”

 

It was Saturday afternoon, and the living room they were sitting looked like someone bombed it with sewing supplies—colorful fabrics were scattered everywhere, surrounding Jamie’s sewing machine like it was some kind of fabric-eating monster. Nina was currently in a sensory-heaven, rolling on the top of the fabric even though Layla told her not to exactly ten minutes ago.

 

Keith picked at the loose threads on his sleeve and bit his lips.

 

If he wanted to be honest, Keith didn’t really care about Halloween. Why would he? The only person he wanted to go trick-or-treating was gone; and while it seemed fun to go with his new foster family, it felt so wrong to go without his dad. It felt like betrayal.

 

“Keith—” Jamie started again.

 

“Leave him alone, Boo”, Layla interrupted her with a light smack on her shoulder. “Keith, if you don’t wanna dress up for Halloween, that’s fine. I won’t be out trick-or-treating either since the center will get swarmed by kids.”

 

Keith reached forward and gave her forearm three squeezes—that was Nina’s nonverbal for ‘thank you’. Layla smiled at him and returned the squeezes, before turning back to her wife. “Get it? I said ‘swarmed’. ‘Cuz I’m gonna dress up as a bee.”

 

Jamie groaned while Nina laughed so hard she toppled back onto the pile of fabric. Keith couldn’t help but laugh too.

 

Halloween would be in a month, but Keith had his own special day before that. He didn’t know if his foster family knew about his birthday; Jamie and Layla had to know, but Keith wasn’t really expecting them to throw him a party or something.

 

“I’m gonna go see Dad”, Keith eventually said. It wasn’t like he was doing much to help with Jamie’s sewing project. He couldn’t sew, and he was useless at matching the colors and patterns. He was in the middle of putting on his jacket in the foyer when Layla called him.

 

She wound a thick knitted scarf around his neck. It was new, Keith noticed, and still smelled like fabric softener.

 

“I know red’s your favorite”, she smiled. “It’s not really that cold out especially since you already got your jacket, but…”

 

“Thanks”, Keith croaked out, unsure of what to say.

 

The Browns were really doing their best to make him feel at home, like he was part of the family. Maybe he didn’t really need a nice stranger to take him to the stars—who cared if Kolivan was real or not? Layla and Jamie certainly were.

 

—

 

The graveyard was quiet and empty, as usual. He even double and triple-checked for any sign of shimmering air, but there was none. Keith tried not to feel too disappointed, but it was hard not to.

 

He looked up to the sky and wondered if there was really life out there. Surely humans weren’t the only ones who lived in this universe? The prospect of being the only species around in the infinity of space sounded very lonely to him.

 

But then, his eyes caught three dots on the sky. It seemed that one of those dots was chasing the other two. Keith rubbed his eyes to make sure that he wasn’t seeing things. The sun was high up in the sky, the strong sunlight making his vision all blurry and blotchy, but the dots were still there.

 

Well… not for long. Two of the dots flashed red briefly and then disappeared completely. Keith let out a quiet gasp and tried to find the remaining dot. Just as he finally found it, it disappeared, leaving a trail of smoke behind. Keith tracked the smoke with his eyes and rushed out of the graveyard to follow it.

 

In hindsight, it was a stupid decision. What if aliens—Galra—were real and they were actually bad? But his legs seemed to move on their own; his instinct was telling him to follow the dot, so he did.

 

The shimmering air that flew closer to the ground looked vaguely plane-shaped. It headed to the rock formations outside the town, not too far to be reached on foot. His dad took him hiking there often, so Keith knew his way around. He tried to ignore the familiar pain at remembering about his dad, just as he tried to ignore the stinging pain from his skinned knees when he lost his footing and stumbled.

 

He slid down a ravine and found a ship lying there, its invisibility cloaking seemed to fizzle on and off. His ears perked up when the metallic door began to groan. He ducked behind a rock just in time as a figure climbed out of the smoldering pile.

 

It was Kolivan.

 

Keith felt his stomach flip from happiness. Kolivan was _real!_ They walked out into the clearing, holding a strange metallic ball in their hand. Kolivan released it and it floated into the air, creating something like a barrier around the ship and made it completely invisible.

 

Keith was about to inch closer, but he lost his footing and fell off the rock he was hiding with a yell. His fall was short but the rocks were still rough and he landed face first into the dusty surface. If he wasn’t already all scratched up earlier, he would be now.

 

A tall shadow fell over him and he looked up. Kolivan looked worried, but Keith saw the way they discreetly tucked away something into their cloak—a weapon, maybe?

 

“Are you alright?” they asked, offering a hand to help him up.

 

“Y-yeah”, Keith took their hand and bit his lips. His scratches made it painful to stand up.

 

“You’re injured”, Kolivan said and immediately kneeled down to check him over.

 

Keith gave them a shrug. “S’ just scratches. I’m okay, really.”

 

Kolivan didn’t believe him, though—of course they didn’t; most adults in Keith’s life would overreact at the smallest sign of blood. It didn’t even hurt! Well… for most of the part.

 

Kolivan made Keith sit on a rock while they rummaged their belt pouch, searching for something. Space band-aids, maybe? Did the Galra still use band-aids? That would be cool. Keith was intrigued when Kolivan took out a small… thingy.

 

“Now stay still”, Kolivan told him and held the thing above the scratches on Keith’s knee. It began to whir and glow purple and he felt slight tingle on his skin. When Kolivan pulled it away, Keith’s eyes widened as he saw that his scratches were completely gone!

 

“Portable regenerator”, Kolivan said as if that explained everything. They seemed to see the confusion in Keith’s eyes and elaborated. “It uses a very small dose of refined quintessence to heal any surface injuries.”

 

“That’s so cool!” Keith grinned. “What’s quinsences?”

 

“Quintessence”, Kolivan corrected. “It’s… ah, how do I explain this. It’s the purest energy that can be found in everything; you, me, that grass over there. We use it for a lot of things, like making our ships fly and heal people who are hurt.”

 

“So like fossil fuels!” Keith chirped, excited. He learned about fossil fuels from his science classes. A lot of things were made from crude oil, like car fuel, asphalt, and even plastics.

 

“It’s not… entirely correct, since fossil fuels are not unlimited source of power—which, so is quintessence.” Kolivan crossed their arms and walked in circles. Their ears twitched every now and then—they reminded him of a cat’s ears and Keith had a sudden urge to rub them, just to see if they were as fluffy as they looked.

 

“But fossil fuels are formed from organic materials… and so is quintessence. But we, the Galra, have abandoned the use for fossil fuels for thousands of years due to unethical mining… but you can also argue that quintessence mining is completely unethical, not to mention abhorrent— _oh_.”

 

Kolivan suddenly stopped. They had a scary look on their face.

 

“Kolivan?” Keith asked, confused. Kolivan was rambling a lot and Keith didn’t understand what they were saying, except that quintessence was basically fossil fuel…? That was weird. He thought the Galra were more advanced than humans. Didn’t they have renewable energy?

 

“Yes?” Kolivan finally turned to Keith, eyes wide and ears perking up. “What are you doing so far from town, Keith?”

 

Keith blinked. “I saw your ship fell here”, he answered, pointing at the sky.

 

Kolivan groaned, rubbing their face. “Of course… I should’ve known not to engage those fighters so close to the planet’s orbit…”

 

Keith wanted to ask who Kolivan was fighting and why they were fighting on Earth, but Kolivan disappeared back into the invisible barrier briefly, before walking out with another device in their hand. They lifted it high in the air; and for a moment, Keith felt like they were ignoring him.

 

“You shouldn’t have come here, Keith. Don’t you know that there are predators around?” Kolivan asked all of a sudden.

 

“Oh, you mean coyotes?” Keith asked back. “They don’t attack humans. If they do, it’s ‘cause they’re cornered.”

 

“Still… Your people could’ve found me or my ship. You could get in trouble”, Kolivan said, still not looking at Keith.

 

He kicked his legs and waited until Kolivan was done doing… whatever they were doing. He put his elbows on his knees and rested his head on his hands, his eyes following Kolivan as they walked around their invisible ship. Yet, minutes ticked by and Kolivan didn’t show any sign that whatever they were doing was close to be done.

 

Finally, he decided that he would get his answers sooner rather than later and hopped down the rock he was sitting on. He trotted over to Kolivan who barely glanced at him and gave their cloak a quick tug.

 

“Tell me about my mom”, Keith demanded.

 

Kolivan looked up from the device in their hand and tapped their chin. Keith wondered if they didn’t hear what he was saying, but then they turned to him. “I will tell everything about your mother, but allow me to ask some questions first, if that’s alright with you?”

 

Keith considered this, but not for long. “Deal”, he said. Kolivan offered their hand and Keith shook it.

 

When he pulled his hand away, he noticed that there was a flat, donut-shaped thingy in his hand. He looked up to Kolivan, who gave him an encouraging nod.

 

Keith traced its smooth, black surface with his finger until he found a small button on its side. When he clicked it, purple lines glowed on its surface and a holographic figure of a woman appeared. She wore some sort of dark armor and stared at the camera—at him. Her eyes were so intense it felt like she was trying to see _through_ him.

 

The image looked like one of those official photos the town had for his dad’s funeral.

 

“I… don’t keep a lot of pictures”, Kolivan said, their ears drooping slightly. “This one is rather old; it was taken when she was barely out of adulthood, your mother.”

 

Keith stared at his mom’s face again and felt… odd. He was supposed to feel something… right? Like sadness, maybe, or nostalgia. Yet instead, he felt… nothing?

 

“You look so much like her”, Kolivan said again.

 

“ I do?” Keith blurted out. He tried to find similarities between them. His hair was black, while hers was darker blue. His skin was pink, while hers was soft purple. His ears were round, while hers were strange and pointy. He couldn’t see himself in her, not really.

 

“It’s the eyes”, Kolivan said. Then, they began to walk again. Keith followed them, still staring at his mom’s face.

 

“You said your father perished in a fire. How did it happen?” Kolivan asked after a moment. Keith bit his lips; he wasn’t expecting to be asked that question.

 

“He’s—he was a firefighter”, Keith answered. He didn’t know if the Galra knew what firefighters were, but Kolivan didn’t ask. “There was a fire at the town and he was—he tried to save someone who got trapped inside or something. He didn’t make it out alive.”

 

Keith still remembered when he was handed a flag. The old man whose life his father had saved thanked him and then thanked _Keith_ —but Keith didn’t know what to do with the flag, so he stuffed it back in the shack, along with the rest of his dad’s belongings.

 

“And you’ve been alone since?” Kolivan asked again.

 

Keith shook his head. “Some people in nice suits came and, and put me with this family—the Browns, Jamie and Layla. They took care of kids, orphans, from ‘round the town.”

 

“I see”, Kolivan hummed. “Did they mistreat you?”

 

There was an unmistakable growl in Kolivan’s voice that surprised Keith.

 

“N-no!” Keith shook his head again. “No, they’re—uh, they’re nice, really. They wanna make me feel at home and it’s… nice, I guess? And not only that, they’re also trying to understand that, that…”

 

“That you are different”, Kolivan said, finishing his sentence.

 

Keith nodded and tightened the red scarf that Layla gave him earlier. It was a little bit dusty from his tumble down the ravine. “Why are you asking me all these?” he asked.

 

Kolivan was quiet for a moment before they answered. “When your mother asked me to retrieve you, I agreed on two conditions. One, that your mixed heritage is causing you complications and misery if you are to continue living on Earth. Two, that Earth is no longer safe for you to live on.”

 

“Wh—what?” Keith stumbled on his own foot. Why would Earth no longer be safe for him?

 

Kolivan sighed. “I suppose I should start from the beginning.”

 

And Kolivan told him _everything_ ; about an emperor named Zarkon who led his people after the destruction of their home-planet, about the diaspora of the Galra people who traveled to distant solar systems to find place they could call home. Kolivan told him about the new colonies and starbases, and ships that connected them.

 

“Things were good for our people and Zarkon was hailed as our savior”, Kolivan said. “Then, he showed his true nature. As the Empire expanded and more planets were conquered, we realized that Zarkon only wanted more power.”

 

Kolivan told Keith that some Galra rose to oppose him, but Zarkon defeated them. He was so strong, not to mention immortal, and people—Galra and Non-Galra alike—lived in fear under his tyranny.

 

“Then, a small group of resistance was formed, the Blade of Marmora”, Kolivan continued, warmth in their voice. "Historians, scientists, and spies rose up to oppose Zarkon. We hid ourselves well to avoid his detection. Eventually, we began to infiltrate the Empire and do the smallest things to inconvenience it, like misplacing files or forgetting to fasten a screw on Zarkon’s most powerful battlecruiser. Small things like that.”

 

Keith giggled at the mental image that the battlecruiser broke down just because someone was forgetting to screw something on, and Kolivan’s eyes twinkled with mischief.

 

“Do not underestimate the power of a screw, especially if there are so many of us”, Kolivan said. “Of course, as our numbers grew and our missions became more dangerous, Zarkon eventually found out about us and tried to wipe us out. Yet still, we persevere.”

 

“Are you a Blade of Marmora too?” Keith asked, noticing the way Kolivan talked about it in such warm familiarity.

 

“I am its leader”, Kolivan whispered dramatically, even if there was no one around aside from the two of them. As Kolivan stood and continued their walk, Keith trotted behind them, stars in his eyes.

 

So that was the reason why Kolivan seemed so mysterious and secretive! They were a spy—everything made so much sense.

 

“Was my mom a Blade of Marmora too?” Keith asked again. If Kolivan and his mom were friends, they had to be fighting on the same side, right?

 

“She is”, Kolivan answered. “For thousands of years, Zarkon has been trying to find these things called Voltron—”

 

“What’s a Voltron?” Keith asked.

 

“Essentially, the most powerful weapon that ever existed”, Kolivan replied. “It belonged to the enemies of Galra, who used it to destroy our home planet. Perhaps Zarkon thought that it would be poetic to reclaim it and use it against our enemies. He sent out scouts to find it, so some of our agents—including your mother—were assigned to sabotage them.”

 

“Eight years ago, I lost contact with your mother when she was supposed to patrol this sector. I feared the worst had happened to her”, Kolivan said. “But then she came back and confirmed that one part of Voltron is indeed hidden on this planet. I placed her in one of the most influential positions in the Empire to sabotage the search mission on Earth.”

 

Keith thought about what Kolivan said while Kolivan went back to whatever they were doing. What his mom did… it all sounded really complicated and dangerous. He still had so many questions about her, but before he could ask anything, his stomach rumbled.

 

Right, it was lunch time.

 

Kolivan’s ears perked up and they turned towards him. “Are you hungry, Keith?” they asked.

 

“I’m fine.” Keith blushed, not expecting Kolivan to hear it.

 

“Of course”, Kolivan said, but there was a small smile on their face. “Please wait here.”

 

Keith tilted his head in confusion, but did as he was told. He sat on a rock overshadowed by the cliff just as Kolivan jumped over a wall of rock and disappeared. Surprised, Keith stood up and was about to catch up to them, before remembering what Kolivan told him.

 

Without anything to do, Keith turned on the photo thingy and stared at the image of his mom again. He knew a few things about her already. Her name was Krolia, and she had really bendy joints too, just like him. Her eyes were dark purple, just like his, and she had that cowlick at the back of her head too.

 

She kinda looked like Kolivan too, Keith thought. The shape of her eyes and the red of her hair kinda looked like Kolivan’s. Keith wondered if it was Galra thing, or if Kolivan was really related to his mom. If they were really related, Keith wondered why Kolivan didn’t tell him.

 

Kolivan returned not so long after, carrying dead rabbits in one hand and a blade in another. Its dark color and the purple glow on it reminded him of his mom’s dagger that his dad gave to him.

 

“Do all Blade of Marmora members have blades like that?” Keith pointed at Kolivan’s blade once they were close enough. Kolivan looked up and frowned.

 

“Your mother gave you her blade?” they asked back.

 

Keith shrugged. “Dad gave it to me, but he didn’t say where it came from.”

 

“Your caretakers allowed you to keep the blade?” Kolivan asked again.

 

“They’re keeping it until I’m older”, Keith answered. He didn’t want to give it up at first, afraid that something would happen to it. But now he knew that the Browns could be trusted.

 

Kolivan hummed as he began to prepare the rabbit. Keith was used to seeing his dad skinned dead rabbits or birds for food, so he wasn’t too squicked out. What was weird, Kolivan seemed to be happy doing it, small smile on their lips as they hummed an unfamiliar tune.

 

Kolivan seemed to realize his questioning gaze and said, “It’s been awhile since I was planetside.”

 

“Why?” Keith asked before he could stop himself.

 

“The Blade of Marmora headquarters… is located within an asteroid. Life can’t grow on its surface”, Kolivan answered.

 

“Why?” Keith asked again, confused.

 

“Because it’s… between twin black holes”, Kolivan added. “And I’ve been very busy for the last decade, so I couldn’t exactly… go on a vacation.”

 

“That sucks.” Keith pursed his lips. No wonder Kolivan was so happy. Still, Keith didn’t understand what was so interesting about plain ol’ Earth that made Kolivan enjoy being here. Living in space sounded so much cooler!

 

“Indeed”, Kolivan nodded as they lit up a small blue fire and put the rabbit meat over it. “When you live somewhere planetside, you don’t know about things you take for granted; naturally recycled air, the warmth of sun beating down your fur, food that’s not synthesized.”

 

 _Yeah…_ Keith still didn’t understand what was so special about things that Kolivan listed, but he didn’t ask again—which was easy because the rabbits soon were done. While they ate, Kolivan told Keith more stories about his mom.

 

 

Hours later, the sky began to darken. Kolivan accompanied Keith back to town—while invisible, of course. They walked Keith off until the two of them reached the Browns’ house. Keith gave them a discreet wave before he shut the door with a smile on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

Keith woke up sluggishly to the sight of his bedroom and blinked confusedly.

 

He didn’t remember walking home. He tried to remember what happened before he fell asleep and all he could recall was bone-deep exhaustion that was still gripping him. He did remember a gentle voice telling him stories about his mom, but he was almost sure that it was just a dream.

 

Kolivan wasn’t real.

 

_Except—_

 

Keith reached for his jacket that someone—probably Layla or Jamie—hung there and shoved his hand into its inner pocket. His heart leapt inside his chest as his fingers felt a small object there. His eyes widened as he pulled it out and recognized its shape—it was the photo thingy that Kolivan gave him!

 

He looked around to make sure that the room was empty, before he turned it on. His mother’s face popped out of it and stared back at him.

 

It wasn’t a dream. Kolivan was real—everything they said was _real_.

 

Keith pinched his cheek just to check that he wasn’t dreaming. He _wasn’t_.

 

Ecstatic, Keith buried his face in his pillow and screamed. It was real, everything was real, and Kolivan’s story was real. He remembered now—he came home tired after walking down the outcropping rocks beyond the town and went to bed right after he was done showering.

 

Keith turned off the photo thingy and slipped it back into his jacket.

 

It was Sunday and it was sunny outside. He hoped that Kolivan’s ship was still in that ravine; he wanted to thank them for walking him home and giving him a picture of his mom, among other things. After changing his pajamas into his shirt and pants, Keith grabbed his jacket and scarf before carefully walking out of the room.

 

Layla wasn’t home—probably at the community center—but Jamie was. So Keith ate his breakfast hurriedly and told her that he was going to the library. He was still putting his jacket on when he went out of the door and saw air seemed to shimmer beyond the gate.

 

Keith blinked.

 

Why was Kolivan at the town?

 

Vaguely, Keith could see Kolivan’s shape wavering—no, not wavering. They were _waving_ at him. His instinct told him it would be okay, so he followed Kolivan, keeping a few steps behind them in case they suddenly stopped.

 

Kolivan took him beyond the town, where a dilapidated shack stood. Away from prying eyes of the townsfolk, Kolivan turned off their invisible cloak and sat down with a heavy sigh. Their hand gingerly touched their side, which Keith remembered had been hurting the day before.

 

“Are you okay?” Keith asked them.

 

“I’ll be fine”, Kolivan answered. “When you’re as old as me, injuries are very stubborn and take a long time to heal, even with the help of regenerators.”

 

“You’re not that old”, Keith said. Sure, Kolivan looked much older than his dad, but he didn’t seem older than the town’s mayor, Mr. Smith. Much to his surprise, this made Kolivan laugh.

 

“You don’t know how old I am”, they said. “Granted, I’m not the oldest Galra that ever lived. But I _am_ rather old, according to our species’ lifespan.”

 

“Well… How old _are_ you?” Keith asked, curious.

 

“Close to six hundred, give or take”, Kolivan answered. Keith’s eyes widened.

 

“Wow! You _are_ old!” he blurted out, before he realized that it was pretty rude. Blushing, Keith muttered, “Sorry…”

 

“It’s alright”, Kolivan smiled. “You can’t even begin to imagine how long our species live. A human’s life is so short compared to ours.”

 

“Am I going to live as long as you?” Keith asked. Would he outlive everyone he knew? Jamie and Layla, even Nina and Mattie…

 

“I do not know”, Kolivan admitted. “Hybrids generally live longer than their Non-Galra part, but not as long as full-blooded Galra. To my understanding, you are the first Human-Galra hybrid. There are none before you, so I can’t say for sure.”

 

Keith sat down next to Kolivan and frowned. Kolivan sighed again and ruffled Keith’s hair. It made Keith’s mood better almost instantly—he always liked to have his hair ruffled.

 

“It seems that you are more Galra-like than I thought”, Kolivan said with a smile. Keith looked at them, confused. “Yes, like that. You look like a kit.”

 

“A… kit?” Keith asked.

 

“It’s what we call Galra children”, Kolivan answered. “Kits usually love to have their crests scritched.”

 

“Crest?” Keith asked again. He realized that he didn’t know much about being Galra—aside from what Kolivan just told him.

 

Kolivan pointed at the bumps on the top of their head. “It’s called _sagittal crest_. All Galra, and occasionally hybrids, have them.”

 

Keith reached out to touch Kolivan’s crest, but Kolivan quickly grabbed his hand. “It’s also very sensitive to touch, and it is considered rude to touch it without permission.”

 

“Sorry…” Keith pulled his hand back and smiled sheepishly. “But—wait! You’re always ruffling my hair without _my_ permission!”

 

Kolivan looked taken aback; their ears fluffed up in surprise and eyes widening. “It’s… ah—” Their ears pinned back. “It’s… fine… for parents. To touch their kit’s crest.”

 

Keith tilted his head. “But… I’m not _your_ kit?”

 

Kolivan mimicked his head-tilt and their ears fluffed up again. They were embarrassed, Keith realized with a surprise.

 

“Krolia is… very dear to me”, Kolivan explained. “Galra as a species have very strong sense of family. So strong that we are bound by mental links to those we consider family, which is Krolia to me. As her son, you and I are also connected.” They also quickly added. “Next time I will ask, if it bothers you so much.”

 

“Oh…” Keith mumbled. “So you’re like my uncle?”

 

Kolivan smiled. “I guess so.”

 

Keith looked down again. “If… If family is really important to a Galra, w-why… why did my mom left? Unless she’s…”

 

“Keith…” Kolivan murmured. Their ears drooped again.

 

“R-right? If she really cared about me, she wouldn’t have left”, Keith said, his voice wavering.

 

“It’s not that simple. She left because the Empire _has_ to believe that there is no Voltron on Earth”, Kolivan said. “She left so she could protect both your father and you.”

 

This was like Dad all over again, Keith realized glumly. People said his dad was brave, but what was left of him was a body in a casket and a flag. People said his dad was a hero, but he left his son to live with four strangers and tons of unanswered questions.

 

And now Kolivan said that his mom left him to protect him and _his dad_?

 

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Keith screamed and kicked the ground. “It doesn’t make any sense! If she wants to protect me and, and protect Dad, where was she when… when that building was on fire and Dad was—Dad was…”

 

Keith didn’t want to cry, not over someone who he never met before. But he was _angry_ , and when he was angry, his tears started to come out on their own—he _hated_ it.

 

“I’m sure your mother never intended for your father to perish”, Kolivan said. “Or that she would inadvertently leave you alone. By leaving Earth, she made a hard decision to keep the Empire away from Earth… and from you.”

 

“S’ not fair…” Keith choked into his sleeve.

 

Kolivan looked sad. “War is never fair.”

 

Kolivan helped him wipe his tears away. Once done, Keith felt drained, like he always did when talking about his mother.

 

Sometimes Keith wondered if it would be better to know about his mom more than he already did. His mom sounded like a very tough soldier or a superspy. It was hard to imagine her being kind and caring—like a mother would. Like _Layla_ would.

 

“I know what will make you feel better”, Kolivan said all of a sudden. Keith wiped his face one last time before looking up to Kolivan, head tilted in confusion. “How does flying around your solar system on my ship sound like?”

 

Keith eyes widened.

 

—

 

Apparently, Kolivan had parked their ship closer to the town so Keith didn’t have to climb all the way to the ravine where Kolivan normally kept their ship. Keith was so excited he bounced on his feet as he entered the barrier that made the ship invisible.

 

The ship was smaller than Keith thought, unlike the Garrison shuttles. It was probably the size of a bus, with less seats inside it. There were glowy lines along the wall that lit up the inside of the ship.

 

“Sit here", Kolivan pointed at the ledge that was embedded to the wall. Keith did as he was told and kicked his legs as Kolivan sat on the pilot seat.

 

The ship’s engine whirred into life and the wall immediately became transparent. Keith yelped in surprise, but quickly adjusted himself. When the ship began to take off, he pressed his face to the wall. They went up higher than Keith could even imagine, and he marveled at the sight of Sonoran Desert became smaller and smaller until he could see the whole Earth.

 

Space was a wonderful sight. Seeing it from beyond the orbit was so different from seeing it with a telescope. Everything was so small from up here—the Earth, the Moon, and even the stars seemed to fit within his palm.

 

“Keith, come and see this”, Kolivan called. Keith hopped down from the ledge and trotted to where Kolivan was sitting on the pilot seat.

 

On the front viewer was a large brown planet with wild, swirly pattern—”Jupiter”, Keith breathed out in amazement. It was even bigger than anything he’d ever seen, even bigger than Earth. There was no word to describe just how big it was and Keith felt small.

 

Kolivan guided the ship to enter its atmosphere. Storm raged outside and shook the tiny spaceship. Keith was worried that it might destroy the ship, but Kolivan looked unfazed. They took the ship out of the planet’s orbit.

 

Saturn was next. It was big, but not as big as Jupiter. Its rings were so wide, though, and when Kolivan brought the ship to surf on one of the rings, the ring sparkled like they were made of diamonds.

 

“They're ice”, Kolivan explained. “Even this far out from any planet, water is everywhere.”

 

“Can we make ice cream from it?” Keith asked. That would be cool!

 

“What is ice cream?” Kolivan asked and Keith looked at them in horror.

 

“You never had ice cream before?!” That was unthinkable! Who hadn’t had ice cream in their life before? _Kolivan_ , apparently. “That’s it! Once we get back to Earth, I’m gonna buy you ice cream. What flavor do you like?”

 

Kolivan looked confused. “… sour?”

 

Keith mimicked Layla’s tutting and crossed his arms. He couldn’t believe this. Who even liked sour ice cream? Did it even exist?

 

Kolivan reached over his head to ruffle his hair. With an annoyed yell, Keith dropped himself on their lap, causing the ship to shake—and Keith remembered that Kolivan was piloting the ship. He offered a guilty grin, but to his surprise, Kolivan didn’t look annoyed. They didn’t even tell him to move away.

 

Instead, they asked, “Do you want to see something awesome?”

 

 

With stars in his eyes, Keith nodded excitedly.

 

Kolivan pressed the buttons on the console. Keith wriggled to sit on Kolivan’s lap, trying to remember which ones Kolivan pressed but their fingers moved too fast. He caught a smile on Kolivan’s face—the smile reminded him of whenever Jamie was about to do something fun but dangerous.

 

“Ready?” Kolivan asked.

 

Keith nodded again.

 

Kolivan pushed the control stick and suddenly, the ship moved _very fast_. It was so fast that Keith was thrown backwards, his back to Kolivan’s chest. On the viewer, the stars were just a blur of lines streaking across the darkness of space.

 

“So cool!” Keith exclaimed, looking up to Kolivan. “This is so cool!”

 

“We are currently within the hyperspace, heading towards Thaldycon System”, Kolivan explained. “You will like it, you’ll see.”

 

When the ship suddenly jerked into a stop, Kolivan held Keith back so he wouldn’t hit the console. It took Keith a bit to reorient himself—and when he did, he saw the most amazing sight he’d ever seen.

 

Blue-green crystals were scattered all over the place. They twinkled and glimmered from the light that came from a nearby blue star. Kolivan took the ship closer to the crystals— and that was when Keith realized that some of them were bigger than the ship.

 

“Pretty!” Keith gasped in awe. “Are they diamonds?”

 

“No, they are called xanthorium clusters; one of the most volatile material in the universe”, Kolivan said. “That means, one bump will cause them to explode and destroy everything nearby.”

 

Keith blinked. “Uh.”

 

“And now—” Kolivan’s smile turned into a smirk. “We’re going to fly between them.”

 

Without warning, the ship took a sharp turn and entered the densely-packed xanthorium clusters. Keith screamed in fear when a large cluster appeared in front of the screen, but then he realized that Kolivan had full control of the ship. They weaved the ship between the clusters easily, much to Keith’s delight, and brought it out of there without bumping into anything. It was just like riding a roller-coaster!

 

“Again! Again!” Keith demanded.

 

“Ah, unfortunately we have to hyperjump you back to Earth, if you want to get home on time”, Kolivan chuckled.

 

“Aww…” Keith drooped, disappointed.

 

The ride back home, Keith decided, was kind of boring, but he still pressed his face on the viewer to take in everything. Outer space was so exciting!

 

 

—

 

After that, Keith’s daily routine changed. Kolivan began to wait for him at Keith’s school gate after school, and they would hang out at the oddest places around the town—with Kolivan being invisible all the time, of course.

 

One time, he even got Kolivan to try ice cream.

 

“Oh!” Kolivan exclaimed as they took a bite of it. “It tastes like _hraljata_.”

 

“What’s that?” Keith asked, immediately perking up at the mention of alien food.

 

“It’s a frozen sour-sweet dessert", Kolivan explained. “Much like this one, but less sweet and more sour.”

 

Keith made a face at the mental image. Kolivan chuckled.

 

“I admit it’s an acquired taste”, they said. “I used to eat them when I was younger.”

 

Keith tried to imagine a younger Kolivan, with less wrinkle and less frowning, eating sour ice cream; but he was unable to do it without giggling. “Do you like the ice cream then?”

 

“Of course”, Kolivan smiled at him. Keith beamed.

 

“Good. Then, can you eat this? Since I literally physically can’t eat it.” Keith offered his own ice cream to Kolivan.

 

“What do you mean?” Kolivan asked as they took Keith’s ice cream.

 

“Oh, I'm lactose intolerant”, Keith answered. “I'll get super sick if I eat something that’s made out of milk.”

 

Kolivan froze. “Wait, you mean this is a dairy product?”

 

As it turned out, Galra couldn’t eat everything that was made out of milk. If Keith thought his lactose intolerance was bad, then Kolivan’s was even worse. Even though Kolivan said they’d be fine, Keith felt really, _really_ bad. Living with so many people with dietary restrictions should have taught him to ask first before giving them something that could possibly be life-threatening.

 

The next day, Keith brought his milk-free muffins that Layla made that morning as an apology to Kolivan. They eyed the muffins suspiciously before taking a cautious nibble of it.

 

“This is delicious, Keith”, Kolivan said, their ears perked up.

 

“Thanks! Layla made them!” Keith beamed. “She’s really good at baking stuff, while Jamie is good at cooking stuff. Together, they make the best food in the world!”

 

He ended up talking about Jamie and Layla while Kolivan listened. Occasionally, Keith would steal a chunk from Kolivan’s muffin. They seemed to pretend not to notice, so Keith kept doing it.

 

“You seem to like your caretakers very much”, Kolivan commented once Keith was done telling them about the barbecue party at Officer Lewis’ home for the Fourth of July.

 

“Yep. And like, I never knew about my mom until now, but like… I feel like, Layla is more like a mom than my own mom, y’know?” Keith kicked his legs.

 

“Sometimes those who have no blood relation are more dear to us than those who have blood relation”, Kolivan said, nodding their head.


	4. Chapter 4

When Sunday came, Keith woke up excited. Kolivan had promised to take him flying again, and he couldn’t wait!

 

He trotted downstairs only to find Jamie and Layla on the kitchen; they had this weird look on their faces, like he just walked on them talking about something that he wasn’t meant to hear. Jamie looked very interested at the coffee stain on her mug, while Layla busied herself with the oven.

 

“Are you going to the graveyard?” Layla asked with forced cheerfulness. Keith wondered what caused this sudden awkwardness but decided to ignore it.

 

“I… Uhh, I was thinking to go on a hike, since it’s sunny outside”, Keith answered, twiddling his thumbs. “My, uh. My dad used to take me there all the time, and uh. Since it’s… it’s sunny…”

 

“Oh, Keith. I dunno, the rocks are kinda far from town”, Layla said. “Are you planning to go alone? What if you get tired and nobody’s around to get you home?”

 

Keith tried not to get too disappointed.

 

“Or maybe”, Jamie stood up suddenly. “Maybe we can go together! We can borrow Lew’s grill, and stuff our cooler box with meat and hotdogs, and you kids can sit on the backseat.”

 

“We can do a family picnic! That’s a great idea, Boo!” Layla brightened up. “What do you think, Keith?”

 

“Uhh”, Keith didn’t know what to answer—this wasn’t what he planned! What if Layla and Jamie accidentally stumbled on Kolivan’s ship? “S-sure…?”

 

“Great! I’ll get Mattie and Nina from the library”, Layla said, already halfway to the front door just as she was putting her hijab on.

 

“ Awesome! I’ll get the grill and everything else”, Jamie followed behind her.

 

 _Oh no_ , Keith thought. What had he done?

 

—

 

Thirty minutes later, the jeep was packed with Jamie, Layla, Keith, Mattie, Nina, Mattie’s wheelchair, Officer Lewis’ grill, the cooler box, bags upon bags of snacks and soft drinks, and other stuff. Jamie rolled down all windows and turned on the radio. They all sang along to the country music—and while Keith was still worried about Kolivan, he couldn’t help but sing along too.

 

They stopped on a clearing, a few feet away from the ravine where Keith knew Kolivan’s ship was hidden. Nina didn’t like the bright sunlight, so Layla and Jamie put on a tarp over the picnic blanket. Meanwhile, Mattie was ordering Keith around to find him shiny quartzes. Keith obliged, if only so he could sneak a glance or two to the ravine below. Keith squinted his eyes, just as the air shimmered; Kolivan’s ship was still there.

 

Keith wondered if he should warn Kolivan not to go out, but decided against it. Layla was still watching him like a mother hawk, even as she started the grill. Besides, Kolivan wasn’t stupid—they would’ve stayed away, anyway.

 

His pocket full of rocks, Keith turned his attention to find more interesting stuff. He remembered his dad warned him about all sorts of dangerous animal like gila monsters and rattlesnakes. He wondered if Kolivan knew about the rattlesnakes crawling around the desert. They probably did, and he giggled at the thought of Kolivan shaking a snake out of their boots.

 

He didn’t find snakes, now, but he found some lizards. Keith grabbed one of them and placed it on his forearm. The lizard didn’t seem to like him and hopped off, before quickly hiding in the bushes.

 

He heard Jamie coming before he could see her. She was wearing a really wide witch hat to cover her pale skin from the sun; Keith thought she looked like a very buff witch.

 

“Hey, lil’ man”, Jamie greeted her. “What’cha doin?”

 

“Snake-hunting”, Keith answered bluntly. He picked up a long stick and start poking at the bushes.

 

“Yeah, none of that. Mattie’s terrified of ‘em”, Jamie laughed and helped Keith stand up. She was still holding his hand as they trudged through the rough terrain. “Geez, you’re really like me when I was your age.”

 

“Yeah?” Keith looked up. Six months he had been staying with the Browns, and he never heard Jamie sharing about her past. He knew that Layla moved back into the town several years ago after graduating from college and decided to build the Muslim community there because there wasn’t any back then. It was a small town, after all.

 

“I was… orphaned at young age too”, Jamie said, shifting her foot. “Lost my dad, then lost my mom. I grew up wild and troubled. And this whole fostering thing? It’s what I’ve always wanted to have, growing up—someone who’s always be there for you kids.”

 

Jamie looked up to the sky and Keith followed her gaze. The sky was cloudless as far as he could see and it made him think about flying.

 

“Layla doesn’t want me to tell you, but… I really want to”, she sighed. Immediately, Keith knew what she was talking about.

 

“It’s about my adoption, isn’t it?” he asked her. Her eyes widened. “It’s alright. I… I kind of knew?”

 

“Oh. Well…” Jamie huffed, idly combing her windswept hair back. “See, this is why keeping secrets from you kids doesn’t work. You’re too smart and too sneaky for your own good.”

 

Keith tried to hide a smile, but he didn’t say anything. He could tell that there were still things that Jamie wanted to say; instead, he rubbed his thumb to the back of her palm. He noticed that her black nails were chipped.

 

“Actually, it doesn’t—Well, I can’t say that it doesn’t matter, but like, I’ve been thinking that maybe… we can make you a permanent part of our family?” she said, though Keith could hear the question mark at the end of her sentence. “Legally adopt you and everything—and I know that it’s not really common with foster parents, just… Y’know. Just throwing that option in. If you want to, of course.”

 

Keith thought about his conversation with Kolivan. His mom wanted Kolivan to take him away from Earth. Yet, while having several opportunities to steal Keith away, Kolivan still seemed reluctant to do it. Keith wondered why—maybe Kolivan thought he would be happier here, safer. There was a war up there, after all.

 

“What do you think, Keith?” Jamie asked. Gosh, she sounded hopeful.

 

“I… I dunno… S’ kind of too sudden.” Keith hesitated. He looked up and saw slight disappointment on Jamie’s face, before she could cover it away. “You understand that… right?”

 

“Of course I understand”, Jamie smiled at him. When she looked up to the sky, there was something in her expression that reminded Keith of his dad whenever he looked up to the stars—longing, though maybe for different reasons. “Man, it’s really nice up here, isn’t it? Bet you can see the stars and everything at night.”

 

“Yeah”, Keith nodded. “Dad, uh… Dad used to take me camping up here. We brought a telescope and he told me everything about the stars.”

 

Now that Keith knew about his mom, he realized that his dad’s love for the stars probably because he was trying to fill the hole that she left behind. He wondered if his dad still loved her after she left, if she still loved him even now. He couldn’t help but imagine of a world where the three of them could be together.

 

“That does sound nice”, Jamie hummed. “Maybe we should do that sometimes.”

 

“Yeah”, Keith said again. The two of them walked in silence, hand in hand, to where the rest of their family stayed.

 

The delicious smell of hotdogs greeted them as they reached the jeep. Layla had laid down a beanbag for Mattie to sit comfortably while Nina sat at the back of the jeep. Keith dumped his pocket’s contents into Mattie’s lap—rocks, weird fossils, and small bird skull, which Mattie picked up delightedly.

 

“Gosh, I’m _old!_ I used to be able to hike like all the time”, Jamie groaned and flopped on the beanbag next to Mattie. “Mmm, that smells great, Bee. Gimme a plate?”

 

“You’re not _that_ old. You still sleep with stuffed animals”, Nina commented, which caused Layla to laugh out loud and Mattie frown.

 

“No way! Jamie is totally old!” Mattie argued. “She’s like, suuuuuuper old, and she pays taxes and—AAAAAHHH!”

 

Whatever Mattie was going to say next was lost when Jamie smothered him. Mattie struggled back with all his might, and Keith and Nina giggled at the childish display. The roughhousing soon ended with Mattie shouting in victory as he successfully smothered Jamie with his beanbag. Eventually, Layla rushed to help her wife and helped Mattie back onto the beanbag.

 

Keith claimed Jamie’s hat, while Nina took pictures of him wearing it. It seemed that she was very into taking pictures lately. “I want to remember you guys, even after I’m getting adopted! You’re like my first brothers!”

 

Keith was touched by her exclamation and gave her shoulder three squeezes. She smiled at him and asked to borrow the hat, before prancing to the clearing and took pictures of the sky.

 

“Oh!” Nina squealed. “Birds!”

 

Keith looked up to where she was looking up to the sky and saw seven dots flying in a V-formation. Somehow, he had a bad feeling about this.

 

“Those aren’t birds. Those are planes!” Mattie argued.

 

“No way, dummy! Commercial planes don’t fly in a V-formation, right Jamie?” Nina turned to Jamie and Layla. Layla didn’t answer, but she took out binoculars from the jeep and frowned at whatever she was seeing.

 

“Those are… ships? Are those Garrison ships?” she asked, handing the binoculars to Jamie. Jamie was quiet for a moment, before shaking her head.

 

“No, I’ve never seen anything like it before…” she said. “I don’t think it’s ours.”

 

 _Yeah_ , Keith really had a bad feeling about this.

 

“Get in the car”, he said. When the others seemed to freeze, he repeated, louder. “Get in the car! Come on!”

 

Layla and Jamie still looked confused, but they carried Mattie into the jeep. Keith pulled Nina’s hands along and slammed the door, just as Jamie finally started the car and drove down the rocky path. Keith knew, though, that the ships would soon catch up with them.

 

Suddenly, the car jerked into a stop, causing Mattie, Keith, and Nina to stumble forward. One of the ships held the car by using a red beam that came from its wings. This time, Keith hated being right. There was no chance they could escape seven Galra ships—fighters, Kolivan called them.

 

“Get out of the vehicle!” A robotic voice came from one of the ships.

 

“Stay calm. It’s gonna be okay”, Jamie said, even as Nina started crying. Jamie and Layla climbed out of the jeep first and Keith could hear Jamie say, “Please don’t attack us. There are civilians and children.”

 

“Get out of the vehicle!” the voice repeated. Things would get ugly, Keith thought, if they didn’t follow through.

 

He gave Nina encouraging squeezes before pushing his own way out of the jeep. His hands and legs shook really badly and he stayed close to Jamie and Layla, who were trying to shield them from the Galra ships.

 

Seven ships surrounded them and they looked like what Keith imagined evil spaceships would look—black, pointy, and terrifying. Kolivan’s ship was damaged just from taking down two of them, and now there were _seven?!_

 

“Tell us where you are hiding Voltron!” a different voice demanded. So they _were_ looking for Voltron, Keith thought his mom leaving Earth was supposed to make Earth safe. So why the bad Galra were here?!

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about! Please let us go!” Layla shouted above the whirs of engine, clutching desperately at Keith and Jamie.

 

Two things happened then: one, the ships began charging their weapons. And two, a figure jumped off the cliff above them and landed on one of the ships with a loud bang.

 

Keith recognized their cloak; it was Kolivan.

 

Kolivan moved like a hero straight out of action movies. They stabbed the cockpit of the ship below them, the blade apparently was sharp enough to cut through metal. Just as the first ship spiraled downwards to crash at the bottom of the rock formation, Kolivan jumped in front of Keith and his family and threw several circular things to three of the ships. They exploded into thousands little pieces. Layla and Jamie shielded Keith and Nina from the debris—but Keith couldn’t help but stare in awe at Kolivan.

 

“Go, mister ninja!” Mattie shouted in encouragement from inside the jeep.

 

The rest of the ships finally caught up to Kolivan and began shooting. Jamie and Layla pulled Keith and the others to hide behind the jeep, just as Kolivan was lunging at the Galra ships. Their blade sliced one of their wings, but one of the ships attacked them.

 

Kolivan landed right in front of the jeep, clutching their side and wheezing out in pain. Their mask fizzled out, revealing their face.

 

Jamie and Layla gasped. Nina screamed. Keith felt anger rise in his chest—he couldn’t just watch while Kolivan was fighting for all of their lives.

 

With a fierce battle cry, he picked up rocks and pebbles and threw them as hard as he could.

 

Some of the rocks got sucked into one of the ships’ engine and it sputtered out before it blew up. Mattie and Nina cheered, but Keith focused his attention to the remaining ship.

 

It seemed to realize what Keith did and charged its weapon. Before it could shoot him, though, Kolivan roared—actually roared like a tiger—as they jumped onto the top of the ship. They drove their blade into the cockpit. Before it could crash, however, Kolivan ripped its windshield open and made the ship land on the cliffside, behind where Jamie’s jeep was.

 

As the rubble settled and the dust cleared, Keith caught the tail end of Kolivan’s shouting into the ship’s communicator. Angry shouting followed, but it was too gibberish for Keith to understand. Kolivan cut it off by destroying the ship’s control and disabling the engine next. The battle was won, but somehow Keith could feel that it was not over yet.

 

Kolivan climbed down the remains of the ship, slightly limping but victorious—but when they turned at Keith, their eyes filled with unmistakable worry. They stepped closer to where Keith was being held behind Layla and Jamie, their movement slow and hesitant.

 

“S-stay away!” Layla shouted at them, even as Keith tried to pry himself out of her deathly grip.

 

Kolivan’s ears drooped, but a hard line was set around their face. It was determination, Keith recognized. And somehow, _somehow_ he could tell that this was it—this was where Kolivan would leave him, just like his mom left his dad all those years ago.

 

Keith reached forward as further as his short arms could reach while being held back by Layla, and somehow managed to pull at the end of their cloak. Kolivan turned, surprised, and their eyes met.

 

“Don’t go”, Keith pleaded, pouring every single wish and prayer into his words. He couldn’t make his mom stay all those years ago and all the prayers in the world couldn’t make his dad to come back; but maybe… _maybe_ he could make Kolivan not to leave him.

 

The hardness on Kolivan’s face crumbled, slightly, and Keith could feel his own heart shatter.

 

“ _Ma’a kovati_ ”, Kolivan said, prying Keith’s fingers off their cloak. Without another word, they climbed up the cliff to where their ship was waiting. Keith watched it go up and up and disappeared beyond the orbit.

  
_Ma’a kovati_. Keith didn’t understand what it meant. But the way Kolivan said it, it sounded so much like ‘goodbye’.


	5. Chapter 5

Keith spent the rest of the day in a trance-like haze. He knew he walked into the house—Layla and Jamie ushered him and the other kids to get some baths before going to sleep, since they were all dirty and dusty from everything that had happened earlier. But unlike Nina and Mattie, who were chattering excitedly about the aliens they met, Keith was quiet.

 

He was numb and tired. The feeling he felt was different than when his dad died. It felt as if there was a black hole growing inside his chest, sucking out all nice feelings in the world. Even though he was sad that Kolivan left, he didn’t cry. He  _ couldn’t _ .

 

When he woke up, he felt like he had just fallen into the ravine a hundred times over; hurting and disoriented.

 

“Oh no”, he heard Layla mutter when he went downstairs for breakfast. He felt her gently placing her hand on his forehead. “You’re really burning up, Keith. Are you shivering too?”

 

Keith gave her a small shrug, before plopping down on an empty chair. He noticed Layla and Jamie’s identical worried look and felt bad. Quietly, he picked up a toast and began to nibble at its corner.

 

Kolivan left him. They left him like his mom… Somehow, it hurt more when Kolivan left him. He was still a baby when his mom left, but that wasn’t the case with Kolivan. He saw them leaving. He heard them say goodbye. Keith didn’t know if they would come back.

 

He sniffled miserably—only then, he realized that he had been crying. 

 

“Oh, Keith…” Layla pulled him into a hug. Keith allowed her to because it felt nice, because he never had a mom to do this to him. He could hear her saying something to Jamie, but he couldn’t hear her. He hugged her tight in return and sobbed even harder.

 

Layla heaved him up and carried him upstairs, back to his room. She put him down gently to his bed and tucked him in. When Keith wiped his tears away, he saw how worried she looked. She was biting her lips, as if wanting to ask something but not doing it to spare his feelings. He really didn’t want to have this conversation right now, but he figured it would be better sooner rather than later.

 

“It’s okay to ask, y’know”, he told her.

 

“You’re such a smart kid, you know that?” She smiled at him and brushed his hair.

 

Keith shrugged again. If he was smarter, he probably could make Kolivan stay—or maybe not. Kolivan was still smarter than him, no matter what.

 

“I’m just…” Layla paused, sighing. “Keith, did you know the… y’know.”

 

“Yeah”, Keith answered. “Their name’s Kolivan. They’re my mom’s—They’re like family to my mom.”

 

If Layla was surprised, she didn’t show it on her face. “Did your mom tell you that, or did Kolivan tell you that?”

 

“Kolivan told me that”, Keith answered, knowing how it sounded to Layla—it sounded like Kolivan was lying to him to get close to him. Keith couldn’t blame her, though. A very small part of him still couldn’t believe everything that Kolivan told him.

 

But a large part of him believed in Kolivan—he wanted to believe in Kolivan and everything they said about the evil empire. About his mom fighting in the war because she wanted to protect him and she had no other option. Because if it was all a lie…

 

If it was all a lie and there was no war and no evil empire…

 

… it meant his mom left him for nothing.

 

Layla looked like she was about to say something, but Keith cut her off. 

 

“You don’t understand! They knew my mom, they had her photo. They even had the same blade like my mom—the one that my dad gave me!” Keith dove under his pillow and plucked the photo thingy out of it, shoving it to Layla’s face. 

 

“Look!” he cried, turning it on. His mother’s image came out of it, and Layla’s eyes widened.

 

Gingerly, she took the thingy from Keith’s hand and turned it around, examining it. It seemed that she was satisfied with whatever she was looking for and she sighed. When she talked again, her voice was calmer. 

 

“Alright, I trust you”, she said. “I still… don’t fully believe it, but I trust you, Keith.”

 

Keith breathed out in relief. That was the least he could ask from her. If she believed in him, then maybe he could make her believe in Kolivan too.

 

With a sigh, Keith flopped back to his bed and watched her still staring at his mom’s picture. The soft light from it was reflected on Layla’s dark brown skin.

 

“Why don’t you tell me from the beginning?” Layla asked, after a moment of silent.

 

—

 

When Jamie and Mattie came home, Keith was done telling Layla everything about Kolivan, his mom’s request, and the war—well, sort of. He still didn’t understand fully about the war, but he knew that his mom was fighting in it and that was why she couldn’t come to Earth to get him.

 

Immediately, Layla pulled Jamie aside so the two of them could talk. “Privately”, she sternly added to Keith and Mattie. Keith took the cue and flopped back on his bed while Mattie sat on his own bed next to him.

 

“Bet they’re talking about the alien ninja from yesterday”, Mattie said. Keith shrugged, but Mattie eyed him suspiciously. “Oh my gosh! They so are! Did you know that alien ninja?”

 

“Yeah…” Keith answered quietly. He didn’t want to repeat what he said to Layla, but he knew that Mattie would ask him relentlessly if he didn’t get the right answer. “Their name is Kolivan. They’re my mom’s family.”

 

“Does that mean your mom is an alien?” Mattie asked again. Keith nodded. “Oh my gosh! So you’re an alien?!”

 

“Yeah, basically.” Keith bundled up inside his blanket and closed his eyes, wishing he could go sleep.

 

“Are they going to adopt you?” Mattie asked.

 

Keith shrugged. Honestly, he didn’t know. Kolivan said that they would take away from Earth only if Earth was no longer safe. And now Kolivan was gone to wherever they had come from—probably to keep Earth safe. Would that mean Kolivan would leave him here? Would he never be able to see Kolivan again?

 

That was good… wasn’t it? That meant he would stay on Earth, with Layla and Jamie. He could still visit his dad. And then, maybe, once he was older, he could get into the Garrison and go to space himself. 

 

But space was  _ big _ . Could he find Kolivan again? Could he find his mom? He… didn’t want that. He wanted Kolivan to stay on Earth and tell him about his mom. He wanted them to take him flying again, occasionally. Kolivan had been so happy when they were on Earth. Wouldn’t it be better if they stayed on Earth and forget about the war?

 

Mattie kept asking more questions and for the first time, Keith wished he would shut up. He wasn’t in the mood to talk, and he couldn’t answer some of Mattie’s question. Had Keith seen Kolivan’s spaceship? No, the ship had always been invisible to Keith’s eyes, but Keith didn’t tell Mattie this. Had Keith flown in the spaceship? Yes. Had Keith flown the ship? No. What kind of ship was it was? He didn’t know. Why was the ship invisible? Where did Kolivan come from? Why did they come alone?

 

“I don’t know!” Keith finally snapped, throwing his blanket away just so he could glare at Mattie. Mattie looked at him back, wide eyed.

 

Then, he began to cry.

 

“Ah, geez…” Keith immediately climbed Mattie’s bed. He felt like he just did something really, really awful; like kicking a puppy. He pulled Mattie into a hug and shushed him before either Jamie or Layla heard it.

 

“C’mon, don’t cry. I’m sorry, okay?” Keith murmured. “Today’s been… really awful. And I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

 

“Y-your eyes”, Mattie hiccuped, still trying to contain his tears.

 

“My eyes?” Keith asked, head tilting in confusion.

 

“Th—they’re yellow.”

 

Oh.

 

_ Oh no. _

 

Keith rushed out of his room, still dizzy and disoriented, but still forcing himself to the bathroom. Reflected on the mirror was him—except he was purple and the white of his eyes were yellow. He opened his mouth and found that some of them were  _ sharp _ .

 

He looked like his mother. He looked like a  _ Galra _ .

 

Layla and Jamie rushed into the bathroom, probably attracted by the commotion. Through the reflection on the mirror, Keith saw fear in Jamie’s eyes—and that hurt more than Keith expected. 

 

Layla didn’t hesitate, though, and she kneeled down in front of him.

 

“Keith, it’s gonna be okay. It could be temporary”, she said, taking Keith’s hand in her own. Her thumb rubbed the purple skin gently,  as if she was trying to make it pink again.

 

“What if it’s not? What if I stay purple for the rest of my life?” Keith sobbed. “I can't go outside like this!”

 

“W-well… then maybe we should ask Kolivan?” Layla asked with a forced smile. She didn’t want to ask Kolivan, Keith realized. But  _ why? _

 

“We  _ can’t _ ”, Keith sobbed. “They’re  _ gone _ , Layla, and I dunno how to call them!” 

 

Kolivan was gone. Just like his mom. Just like his dad.

 

Why did everyone who knew him left him? Did he get cursed? Would Jamie and Layla leave him too, now that he was purple and alien? 

 

“I'm scared…” Keith said, and it felt like spitting something sour out of his mouth. He was scared and he didn’t know what to do, and he doubted that either Jamie or Layla knew what to do.

 

Where would he live now? Would the Garrison take him and experiment on him? Would he forever live in a lab as scary people in white coats tried to figure out what was wrong with him?

 

Neither Jamie or Layla had the answer to his problems, and somehow that made it even scarier.

 

— 

 

Jamie already told the principal that Keith was sick when she had dropped off Nina at school, so that was one problem solved. But Keith still felt anxious and restless. He couldn’t go to school, and he couldn’t go outside. The Browns’ house, that started to feel like home, suddenly felt like a prison.

 

Jamie and Layla tried to distract him with board games. They sat down in the middle of the living room, with Mattie on the beanbag as usual. The game helped a little. Within minutes, he already focused his attention fully to win the game. When he won, Layla looked at him and gasped in surprise.

 

“Keith! You're pink again!” she said, handing over a small mirror to him. Keith took it and blinked at his own reflection there.

 

“But, but…” Keith didn’t understand. Why did he suddenly turn pink? He was pink, then he was purple, and now he was pink again?

 

“Cool!” Mattie commented. “Can you turn green next?”

 

“I— What?” Keith blinked in confusion. Jamie ruffled Mattie’s hair, making him laugh.

 

“Maybe it responds to your state of emotions”, Layla said. “When you’re upset, you turn purple.”

 

“That’s silly”, Keith pointed out. It never happened before when he was upset… or else, his bullies would’ve noticed before.

 

Layla shrugged. “I can’t think of the alternative.”

 

“Maybe it had something to do with Kolivan?” Jamie asked. When Layla and Keith turned to her, she shrugged. “What? It’s possible that they gave you something.”

 

“Keith, can you remember if they ever gave you anything? Food, maybe? Or drink?” Layla asked.

 

Keith scrunched his face, trying to remember. And then—

 

“The quinsentens!” he remembered now, the thingy that Kolivan used to heal his scratches. That had to be what caused his transformation to be more Galra-looking!

 

“The what now?” Jamie asked confusedly.

 

“When— I saw Kolivan’s ship crashed at the ravine, so I followed it. But then I fell and got scratches and then Kolivan healed me with—with this glowy thingy”, Keith explained.

 

“Like magic?” Mattie asked.

 

“Nu-uh!” Keith shook his head. “It’s Galra tech. Kolivan called it quinsense… quincensens? It’s like fossil fuels, but it can be used to heal people.”

 

“I… see”, Layla said, even though Keith still could see her confused. “Keith, that’s so dangerous. What if your body is reacting badly to the healing thingy? Kolivan couldn’t have known.”

 

“I’d say his body is already reacting to it badly”, Jamie huffed. “Keith, did it hurt when your teeth became sharper and your skin turned purple?”

 

Keith shook his head again.

 

“Was that the first time this happened?” Layla asked. 

 

“Yes—” Keith paused and tried to remember. Was this the first time he felt upset after Kolivan healed him? No, he cried when Kolivan told him that war was never fair. Surely Kolivan would’ve told him if his skin suddenly turned purple and his eyes yellow… right? “I… I think so?”

 

“Oh well… Either way, if they show up again, I have a thing or two to say to them”, Jamie growled menacingly, cracking her knuckles.

 

“And thank them”, Layla added, making Jamie pout. “They did save our lives, Boo.”

 

Keith smiled at the two women in front of him. Surrounded by Jamie and Layla, everything suddenly became less scary.

 

—

 

That night, when Mattie and Nina were already asleep, Keith slid out of his bed and quietly padded down the stairs. The hallway was dark, but he never had problem with seeing in the dark before—another Galra trait that his mom had passed to him. 

 

Vaguely, he could hear the soft noise of the sewing machine from the living room; Jamie had to be there. Nobody told him, but Keith noticed that whenever Jamie was sad or couldn’t sleep, she would sew. Not to mention that with the Halloween being less than two weeks away, she was more busy than before.

 

“Hey, lil’ man”, Jamie finally realized that Keith was there. There was a tired smile on her face. Keith approached her and gave her hand three squeezes. 

 

“Can’t sleep?” Keith asked.

 

“Kind of”, Jamie answered. “You?”

 

Keith shook his head.

 

“Something on your mind?” she asked again. 

 

Keith dragged the beanbag next to the sewing machine. Jamie waited patiently until Keith plopped himself next to her.

 

“Y’know that one time I had to write a letter to my mom and I refused to do it because I didn’t know about my mom, and Mrs. Wellington got mad because I could’ve written to either one of you?” Keith asked once he was done. He rested his head close to her thigh. 

 

“I remember that”, Jamie smiled at him. “She was being an insensitive jerk.”

 

“Well… I thought about it and now that I knew about my mom, I think I’d be writing to you or Layla anyway”, Keith gave her a small shrug.

 

Jamie took a deep breath and Keith swore he could see tears in her eyes. “Keith…”

 

“My mom… She left Earth to protect me. Maybe she’s a good person, I dunno, and she’s probably a good soldier. But she wasn’t a good mom”, Keith explained. He’d been thinking about this all day. “Right? If she was a good mom, and maybe a good wife to Dad, she could’ve taken me and Dad and hide somewhere… I dunno.”

 

“It’s…” Jamie sighed. “I don’t know enough about your mom to understand why she did what she did and I won’t justify her actions just to make you feel better. But maybe… maybe she did what she thought was best for Earth.”

 

“But not for me or Dad”, Keith said with a murmur. “Kolivan… They were on Earth for a couple of days, but they saved you guys and me because they were  _ actually _ here. Unlike my mom…”

 

“Well, yeah…” Jamie muttered.

 

“And if it were you and Layla, you would take me and the others away if bad aliens invaded Earth”, Keith looked up to Jamie. “You wouldn’t leave any of us behind.”

 

“Well,  _ yeah _ ”, Jamie agreed. “But different people make different decision. That doesn't make her a bad person.”

 

Keith hummed.

 

“You're such a smart kid, y’know that?” Jamie laughed and ruffled his hair. The gesture calmed him down and Keith couldn’t help but remember what Kolivan told him about crest-scritching. “Y’know, I just noticed something.”

 

“Yeah?” Keith looked up again.

 

“You seem… happier since you started hanging out with Kolivan”, Jamie said. “Like, yeah, I don’t trust them yet. But we’ve had you for seven months, and you’re still grieving. You used to visit your dad’s grave every single day and me and Bee didn’t know what to do.”

 

Jamie let out a dry chuckle. “But then, what? They showed up and suddenly you stopped visiting your dad’s grave—you said it yourself. You start moving on, and… I dunno. I'm kind of jealous of them. They did what we couldn’t do. They helped you heal.”

 

Keith didn’t know what to say. His chest felt so full he couldn’t breathe. So he gave her knee three squeezes.

 

“I…” Keith paused, clearing his throat. “Is it too late to pick my Halloween costume?”

 

The smile that Jamie gave him was blinding.


	6. Chapter 6

Keith started going to school again.

 

Things were not as bad as he thought, and evil empire ships didn’t show up to blow Earth into million little pieces. Johnny was still a mean bully, but there was no helping that.

 

And then, one day, Keith came home from school only to be immediately greeted with party poppers.

 

“Surprise!” Jamie, Layla, Nina, and Mattie shouted in unison and they began to sing the birthday song. 

 

Keith stared at them for three full seconds, confused. In the middle of everything that happened for the last week, Keith had forgotten about his own birthday!

 

“I think we broke him”, Mattie giggled.

 

“I think I know how to fix him”, Jamie said before she lifted Keith on the top of her shoulders. Keith screamed before he could balance himself; then, he began to shriek and giggle.

 

Eventually, Jamie put Keith down, and they moved to the dining room to eat the cake that Layla baked. It was covered in red and purple frosting with Garrison-themed toppers. Keith gave the first cut to Layla along with a quick peck on her cheek, and did the same to Jamie.

 

All in all, it was a fun birthday party.

 

— 

 

A week passed without Keith turning purple. 

 

Keith was working on his homework in the living room, and Nina was painting Mattie’s nails bright pink. Layla was knitting, while Jamie was busy finishing Mattie’s black cat costume in her sewing corner. The noise of her sewing machine was soft and lulling. On the mannequin was Nina’s witch costume, already finished. It looked like a sequin monster threw up all over it. The TV was on, but nobody paid any attention to it. It was running some kind of old sci-fi series about the Jupiter colony. 

 

Then, a quiet knock came from the door.

 

Keith turned to Jamie, who was giving Layla a confused look. It was already dark outside and they weren't expecting guest. Slowly, Jamie headed towards the front door, followed by Keith and the others.

 

“This better be an emergency", she grumbled as she took her stun gun from the locked cabinet on the foyer.

 

When she opened the front door, no one was there.

 

Keith squinted his eyes and vaguely saw the air shimmering in the shape of a tall figure. “… Kolivan?” he called hesitantly.

 

“May I enter?” Keith heard Kolivan’s voice, barely above a whisper.

 

Layla and Jamie shared a look before Jamie stepping to the side to allow them enter. Once the door was shut, Kolivan’s invisibility cloak fizzled out and they appeared on the foyer.

 

“Hello, Keith”, Kolivan said with a smile, and then they bowed to Jamie and Layla. “Please pardon my intrusion. I figured it's best to get to know each other sooner rather than later.”

 

“Give me one reason not to electrocute your head off right this instant”, Jamie growled, her stun gun raised. 

 

“If I wished harm to your family, I would've done it already”, Kolivan said. Their hand moved into their cloak, but they paused when Jamie tightened her grip on the stun gun. Kolivan sighed. “I will surrender my weapons if it will ease your mind.”

 

One by one, Kolivan handed several weapons to Layla— their blade came out first, followed by several alien trinkets that looked like Christmas tree baubles, small pyramid-looking thingies, a set of knives, and so on. The amount of the weapons Kolivan was carrying was comically ridiculous. Layla had to pull Nina’s curious hand away from them, and Keith had to pull Mattie’s away.

 

“Unfortunately I cannot surrender my claws and prosthetic legs, but let me assure you that I truly do not wish to harm Keith and his caretakers”, Kolivan said with their hands raised.

 

“Well, that’s what you said”, Jamie retorted. She lowered her stun gun, but kept it close to her person.

 

Kolivan lowered their hands but didn’t say anything. Instead, they stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, surrounded by wide-eyed Humans who barely reached their chest. Keith hesitantly moved closer and stopped right in front of them.

 

“Keith—” Kolivan paused. Keith didn’t wait for them to finish.

 

“I thought you’d never come back…” Keith said, his voice small. He was going to cry again, he knew, but he held back his tears. 

 

“I would’ve”, Kolivan said. “But then I found out that Earth is no longer safe.” They paused. “Did you tell your caretakers about everything?”

 

“He did”, Layla answered for him. She had her hands on Keith’s shoulders, as if afraid that Kolivan would snatch him away. “I believe in what he said, but I’m not sure if I can believe what you said to him.”

 

Kolivan nodded. “Fair enough”, they said. “I assume you have questions?”

 

“Are you really an alien?” Nina asked all of a sudden. Keith and the Browns turned to her. Nina shrugged. “What? They asked if we have questions.”

 

A small smile curled on Kolivan’s lips and they kneeled down until they were eye-level with Nina. “I am, but people normally find the term ‘alien’ too offensive. We normally call them with their species name. My species is called Galra.”

 

Nina nodded seriously. “I’m sorry for calling you the a-word.”

 

“Apology accepted”, Kolivan said, before turning to Jamie and Layla specifically. “Any other questions?”

 

“Do you really know Keith’s mother?” Layla asked.

 

“Yes, her name is Krolia. She is a dear friend of mine and a sister-in-arms”, Kolivan answered.

 

“And I assume she’s not around to confirm this story with us”, Layla said. It sounded like an accusation.

 

Keith turned to Kolivan, eager to hear the story about his mom as always. He knew that his mom was busy being a spy to keep Earth safe, but he was hoping to hear more about her.

 

“She was assigned to infiltrate an Imperial fleet under Warlord Ranveig’s command”, Kolivan said with a frown. “Ranveig’s territory includes a large part of space beyond the Empire’s border. Earth used to be part of his territory. Now it is owned by another commander called Sendak.”

 

“Before I came to Earth, I received a transmission from her telling me about this change of power. Sendak is ruthless, even more than Ranveig—more so, he is Emperor Zarkon’s right hand man. Krolia told me to get Keith away from Earth, in case Sendak decides to conquer it”, Kolivan explained.

 

That sounded different from what Kolivan told him. This was the first time Kolivan mentioned scary warlord and commander.

 

“I assume you didn’t tell Keith about all this”, Layla said.

 

Kolivan shook their head sadly, before turning to Keith. “He is too young to understand.”

 

“Why didn’t you come and talk with me or my wife in the first place? You admit that it’s pretty suspicious of you going behind our back like this”, Layla accused.

 

“And I apologize about that”, Kolivan tipped their head slightly. “I was expecting Keith and his father, both I assumed already know about life beyond your Earth. But then I found out that his father perished, and Keith was nowhere to be found. Humans are a pre-warp species who haven’t had actual first contact with other beings. I did not know if you would take kindly to a Galra showing up at your front porch.”

 

“Well… as you can see, we’re harmless”, Layla said.

 

“I see that now, and I apologize for making such assumption”, Kolivan returned.

 

“Why didn’t Keith’s mother come and get him herself?” Layla asked again. “You haven't answered that.”

 

“Her last communication told me that she’s investigating a section of space called the Quantum Abyss. There is no word from her afterwards, but I assume that she is alright.”

 

“How d’you know?” Keith asked, genuinely curious. 

 

“I told you she is like a family to me. We share a mental bond. If she perished, I would be the first to know”, Kolivan turned to him and smiled reassuringly.

 

“Well… I suppose we have to take your words about all this?” Jamie asked, her arms crossed. 

 

“I suppose”, Kolivan nodded. “But believe me, now that I’ve known Keith, I would rather perish than let something bad happen to him.”

 

“No”, Keith interrupted. Kolivan turned to him again. “Don’t say that. Don’t say that you’d d-die.”

 

Sometimes, Keith thought about his mom, about how she left him and his dad to protect them, about how great of a sacrifice it was. He saw it now on Kolivan and tried not to imagine them disappear too.

 

Kolivan didn’t say anything; instead, they ruffled Keith’s hair.

 

“Are you gonna take Keith now?” Mattie asked. It was the first time he spoke since Kolivan showed up.

 

“I suppose that depends”, Kolivan answered with a sad frown. “On whether Keith wants to go with me or not.”

 

“I get to choose?” Keith asked, confused. He thought Kolivan was going to take him away either way.

 

“Of course”, Kolivan nodded.

 

Keith wasn’t prepared for this, and that was scary. What if he made the wrong choice? What if, whatever his decision, people would get hurt because of it? What if he could never see Earth again? But then, he realized that it was obvious—he could have just  _ asked _ .

 

“If… if you take me, can I come back to Earth again?” Keith looked up to Kolivan, hope in his eyes.

 

“Of course”, Kolivan said, their eyebrows rising. “Once you are older and you have your own ship, the Universe is yours to travel. Of course, it will be dangerous; there will be pirates and Imperial fighters. But I will teach you  _ everything _ within my ability to defend yourself.”

 

Keith nodded in understanding. That… didn’t sound bad. If he stayed on Earth, he could never go to space—well, he  _ could _ , but he doubted Earth ship could go further than the edge of their own solar system, like Kolivan’s ship did.

 

“Do I have to join the Blade of Momora?” Keith asked again.

 

“The Blade of Marmora”, Kolivan corrected with a small smile. “And that is also your decision to make, once you are older. We do not allow children within our ranks.”

 

“I wanna go with you”, Keith decided, finally. 

 

“W-wait”, Mattie interrupted. “C-can’t you… can’t you wait until Halloween? P-please…? We’ve been—we’ve been planning for Halloween since forever.”

 

Kolivan was quiet for a long moment, before they tilted their head. “What’s a ‘ _ Halloween _ ’?”

 

What followed after, something really bizarre happened on the Browns’ living room—something that was even more bizarre than Jamie’s Halloween sewing project. 

 

They had Kolivan sitting on the couch while eating Layla’s vegan cookies. Nina explained excitedly about Halloween, and how important it was to Human children (which was highly exaggerated, not that Keith was complaining). Kolivan took everything in with great patience and even greater curiosity as they asked about the subject every now and then.

 

“I suppose I can wait until… this Halloween”, Kolivan said eventually. Mattie and Nina cheered together.

 

Keith rubbed his eyes and yawned—tonight’s excitement finally caught up to him. He looked at Layla and Jamie, who went back to their knitting and sewing project but still keeping an eye on Kolivan, and then at Kolivan.

 

A small idea popped in his mind.

 

Without a word, Keith climbed onto Kolivan’s lap and curled there. Kolivan made a small surprised noise, but they didn’t stop him. Instead, they began to run their hand through Keith’s hair. It made Keith even more drowsy.

 

He fell asleep like that; warm and safe in Kolivan’s lap and surrounded by his family.

 

— 

 

When Keith woke up, he realized that he was sleeping on the carpet, with Kolivan’s arms wrapping around him securely. An ugly pink afghan covered them both and kept them warm, even though Keith didn’t really need it. Kolivan’s body was warm enough already.

 

Layla was sprawled on the long couch, with Mattie using her as a pillow. On the opposite side of the room, Nina slept on the armchair, hugging her blankie. A yellow afghan wrapped around her like a burrito.

 

“Mornin’, lil’ man”, Jamie’s voice greeted him. Keith turned and saw her standing on the door, a glass of milk in her hand. “You slept pretty soundly last night. The big guy had to sleep over because you didn’t wanna let ‘em go.”

 

“He has a suffocating grip”, Kolivan’s voice came from behind, making both Keith and Jamie jump in surprise.

 

Keith blushed and tried to wriggle out of Kolivan’s deathly grip. 

 

“Speak for yourself, dude”, Jamie laughed. “Because from here, you’re the one with  _ suffocating grip _ .”

 

“Apologies”, Kolivan said, lifting their arm and allowing Keith to sit up.

 

He looked at Kolivan, then at Jamie. “Do I have to go to school?” he pouted. He wanted to spend more time with Kolivan.

 

Besides, if he was gonna go with Kolivan, it wasn’t like he was going stay in school to graduate.

 

“Yes”, Kolivan and Jamie answered at the same time. Jamie continued, “You took a few days break from school earlier this week, remember?”

 

“Education is important, Keith”, Kolivan added. 

 

So Galra had school too—that wasn’t fun. With a mighty pout, Keith trotted over to Jamie and followed her to the dining room for breakfast. 

 

Jamie didn’t even bat her eyes when Kolivan joined them not long after, hair neatly braided around their neck. Keith thought it was was weird, especially since they were practically at each other’s throat just last night.

 

— 

 

After school, Jamie and Kolivan then took Keith to the shack in the desert. There were a lot of things in there that his dad left behind and Jamie suggested he took some of them to remind him of his dad and Earth.

 

Keith decided that he didn’t need his dad’s clothes, so they were stuffed into the cardboard box in Jamie’s jeep. Those clothes would be donated to the community center. Keith only took his dad’s fingerless gloves, utility belt, and red jacket that was still too big on him.

 

Kolivan suggested Keith take his dad’s books, mostly because they were intrigued by them—apparently, Galra hadn’t been using physical books since… well,  _ forever _ . 

 

When Keith got into his dad’s room, he found a photograph stuffed into the rip in the mattress. It was of Keith’s mom sleeping, in the crook of her arms and bundled in red swaddle was Keith as a baby. Kolivan’s eyes widened when Keith showed it off to them.

 

“Sometimes I forgot how young your mother is still”, they said, their fingers gently caressing the old photograph. They handed it back to Keith, who carefully tucked it into his jacket.

 

They couldn’t find anything else that Keith wanted to carry. His dad wasn’t big on keeping things, so the house was almost bare when they were done going through the shack. Most of his stuff was going to be donated or sold. The shack itself would stay, though Keith doubted he would ever visit it again.


	7. Chapter 7

“I am unsure about this… Halloween”, Kolivan said awkwardly. They were wearing a different clothes, one with shoulder pads and kimono-like wrap. “Are you sure your Human neighbors won’t be suspicious of my presence?”

 

“Believe me, people dressed weirder for Halloween”, Jamie answered, waving her hand carelessly. “Besides, tonight you’re gonna be Keith’s Uncle Ivan from Russia. It’s the best cover story if you’re really gonna take Keith away for good.”

 

“It’s pronounced  _ Ee-van _ , Jamie”, Keith protested, kicking his legs. “They're Russian, remember?”

 

“Sorry, Keith.  _ Ee-van _ ”, Jamie smiled, before resuming to put on her makeup. Tonight, she was dressing up as a zombie peasant from the fourteenth century.

 

“It’s certainly not the most difficult cover I’ve done”, Kolivan said, before turning to Keith. “I’m surprised that you dress up as a Blade.”

 

Using Krolia’s armor from the projector thingy as reference, Jamie managed to create a set of armor small enough for Keith to wear in just a few days. It looked pretty similar to what his mom wore and Kolivan smiled so wide when Keith put it on earlier.

 

Keith grinned at them before hopping down from the back of the couch where he was sitting and onto Kolivan’s lap. Kolivan made a small ‘oof’ before helping Keith to balance himself.

 

“You are very affectionate tonight”, Kolivan said with a smile.

 

“Sorry”, Keith blushed.

 

“Don’t be”, Kolivan said. “It’s been awhile since I've been around kits. I’ll have to get used to it again soon.”

 

“You have a kid?” Keith asked, curious.

 

“A long time ago”, Kolivan answered. “It’s a long story.”

 

Kolivan looked really sad, so Keith decided to make Kolivan not-sad even for one night. He took their hand in his own and placed it on the top of his head. It made Kolivan smile for a bit.

 

Eventually, Jamie, Layla, Mattie, and Nina were ready. The six of them piled into Jamie’s jeep, with Kolivan squeezed onto the backseat, and she drove them to the community center. While Mattie, Nina, and Keith chattered excitedly about all the candies and toys they would get, Layla was teaching Kolivan about recognizing razors and other dangerous stuff from the candies.

 

“The neighborhood is pretty safe, but it’s just in case”, Keith could hear Layla speak. “You won’t believe how much of a  _ jerk _ someone can be.”

 

“I believe it”, Kolivan replied.

 

They reached the Islamic Community Center in no time. From there, Keith and the others would go around the town trick-or-treating. It was already dark and a lot of people were gathering there; some were just done praying, while the other were waiting in anticipation for trick-or-treaters. A lot of kids were also already there, waiting to start trick-or-treating.

 

“Imam Jameel!” Nina shouted all of a sudden. Keith and Mattie turned and saw the old imam came out of the mosque carrying empty bags for the kids.

 

“Assalamualaikum, kids”, the imam said as he approached the kids gathering around the community center. 

 

“Wa alaikum salam, Imam!” Keith chorused along with the kids to answer his greeting. Then, the imam began to give the empty bag to every kids; though he paused when he got to Keith.

 

“And what are you supposed to be, Keith?” he asked.

 

“I’m a Blade of Marmora!” Keith grinned to him. The imam chuckled, muttering something about kids these days and their comics. Kolivan looked very surprised at the imam’s quick acceptance and shot Keith a confused look. “It’s Halloween. You can be  _ anything _ on Halloween!”

 

Kolivan didn’t seem to understand but they accepted Keith’s answer anyway. Keith tugged their hand to follow Jamie, Nina, and Mattie, who already waited for them to begin trick-or-treating. Mattie put a lot of cat bells on his wheelchair so it jingled and rattled as they walked together to the first house, the Holts’ house. Sam and Colleen Holt were Jamie’s superior at the garrison and they had two little kids on their own.

 

“Hey, Jamie. Layla’s at the community center?” Mr. Holt asked. He was a small guy around Jamie’s height, with greyish brown hair and kind smile. “And who is the big guy with you?”

 

“That’s Keith’s uncle from Russia”, Jamie answered for Kolivan. 

 

“Hello”, Kolivan greeted with a smile and a slight bow.

 

“I… see”, Mr. Holt said. Before he could say anything else, Jamie interrupted him.

 

“Mrs. Holt with the kids trick-or-treating?” she asked. “Katie’s only three, right?”

 

“Four, actually. It’s her first time trick-or-treating, so she’s very excited about the whole thing. She even picked her costume in  _ August _ ”, Mr. Holt chuckled.

 

“Lucky you. This one took  _ forever _ to decide what kind of costume he wants”, Jamie grinned while ruffling Keith’s hair, making him yelp in surprise.

 

Eventually, they said goodbye to Mr. Holt. He gave a bag of chips for Keith, a glowstick for Mattie, and a glow-in-the-dark star hairclip for Nina. It went to her hair immediately. 

 

“I like Mr. Holt. He’s nice”, Nina said with a skip on her steps. She took Keith’s hand and swung it back and forth.

 

“He’s like, suuuuuper old”, Mattie added. “Probably older than Jamie.”

 

“ _ Definitely _ way older than me”, Jamie laughed.

 

As the night went on and their bags began to gain a significant weight, Jamie called for a stop. They took a rest in a McDonald’s nearby and bought some drinks. Jamie and Kolivan checked Keith, Mattie, and Nina’s bags for dangerous stuff. They couldn’t find anything, though, and handed the bags back to the kids. Keith immediately reached for all the sour candies he got and gave them to Kolivan.

 

“You said you like sour stuff. Try ‘em”, Keith said.

 

Kolivan’s ears perked up. Tentatively, they tried one of them and brightened up. “This is good.”

 

Keith made a face—he could never understand Kolivan’s love for sour stuff. After that, Mattie and Nina took it as a challenge to find the sourest candy to give to Kolivan. Kolivan’s happy face as they tried them made Nina and Mattie laugh.

 

When Keith and the others walked out of the McDonald's, a group of kids along with their parents passed by. They looked like they came from the other part of the town.

 

“Oh my gosh, look at that giant!” one of the kids shouted, pointing at Kolivan. Keith turned and saw Johnny staring with his mouth open.

 

“He’s not a giant, Johnny! He’s my Uncle Ivan!” Keith said, taking Kolivan’s hand and tugged them away. He really didn’t want to deal with Johnny being a jerk tonight.

 

“Is this the same Johnny from the one you told me about?” Kolivan asked. They sounded curious.

 

“He’s a jerk. I'm kinda glad that I don’t have to deal with him again after this”, Keith shrugged. 

 

“You’re surprisingly mature about this”, Kolivan said with a small smile. “It's funny that Humans find me tall. For a Galra, my height is rather below average, you know.”

 

“Really?” Keith eyes widened. He thought Kolivan was already tall—but there were other Galra taller than them?

 

“The current Blade of Marmora leader is at least twice as tall as me”, Kolivan said. “But then again, he’s part-Galra.”

 

“But I thought you’re the leader?” Keith asked, confused.

 

“I gave my position away”, Kolivan replied with a shrug. “I want to give you the best childhood I can possibly manage, and I cannot do that if I'm still leading the Blades. I asked to move to a remote outpost, which is where we will stay for the next… hmm, however it takes for you to reach adulthood.”

 

Keith didn’t know what to say—Kolivan quit their job for him and promised to take care of him and protect him. That was more than his own blood mother could ever give him! 

 

Without hesitation, Keith threw himself to hug Kolivan—well, Kolivan’s  _ leg _ , since Keith was too short to hug them properly.

 

Without a word, Kolivan kneeled down and returned the hug, before picking him up to put him over their shoulders. Keith shrieked as he was lifted into the air just like his dad used to do and held on the top of Kolivan’s head.

 

They went to several more houses after that, but Kolivan attracted too much attention. Other kids saw them carrying Keith on their shoulders and wanted to do the same too. Kolivan let them climb all over them patiently. Keith certainly wasn’t  _ sulking _ about this.

 

“Of course you aren’t”, Jamie teased, ruffling Keith’s hair.

 

Keith crossed his arms and pouted.

 

Eventually, Nina felt overwhelmed by the crowds, so their group went back to the community center to pick up Layla and get Jamie’s jeep. They went home, tired but happy. Once they were home, Keith helped Jamie wrap Nina in her comfort blankie. They put on the white noise machine in the living room and sat in circle while they counted everything they got from trick-or-treating. 

 

Then, Kolivan excused themself.

 

“But… why?” Keith asked.

 

“I have something I need to take care of before we leave tomorrow”, Kolivan replied. “I’m not leaving the planet yet, don’t worry.”

 

That eased Keith’s worry. At least Kolivan wouldn’t leave him again. He gave Kolivan one last hug before they disappeared into the night.

 

—

 

The next morning found Keith waking up earlier than usual.

 

The sun was not yet rising, and Keith blinked his eyes confusedly. It was rare for him to wake up this early, but it wasn’t the first time. He used to do it occasionally, back when his dad was still alive. In fact, the last time he did it was the morning before his dad died in a fire.

 

His dad… He was going to leave his dad behind.

 

No, not his dad. It was just a grave marker where his dad was buried. His dad was gone and he would never come back. But Jamie once said that everyone had a little star stuff in them, and when they died, their energy would return to the stars once again. Keith didn’t know how it worked but he wanted to believe it.

 

Quietly, Keith slid down his bed. Mattie and Nina were still asleep, exhausted from last night’s trick-or-treating. Without any noise, he padded out of his room and into Jamie and Layla’s room. The two of them too were still asleep.

 

Layla stirred when Keith slid onto their bed and under the duvet. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, before she turned to him fully. “What’s up, Keith?”

 

Keith opened his mouth, but nothing came out. There were so many things he wanted to tell Layla, and yet he couldn’t put it into words. They were feelings, he realized; conflicted, confusing feelings that contradict with each other.

 

“I’m scared…” he eventually said. Layla sat up— her pink dyed hair flattened on one side from sleep. Keith quickly added before she could say anything, “But… I’m excited? But, but I’m gonna leave you and I… I dunno, it’s all so confusing.”

 

And that was when the reality set in. 

 

He was going to leave Layla and Jamie, and everyone else on Earth. It took him eight months to finally open up with Layla and Jamie, and now he was going to leave them—and Keith… found that he didn’t want that. He didn’t want waking up without hugs and kisses from Jamie, or living without Layla’s cooking. Could Kolivan cook? What if their cooking was terrible and he would find missing Layla’s cooking up in space?

 

So much would change.

 

“Keith, Kolivan said you can still go to Earth, remember?” Jamie said—now she was awake too. “And besides, you can still change your mind if you don’t wanna go with Kolivan. I’m sure they’ll understand.”

 

“No, it’s not—” Keith paused, sighing. “What about you guys? I… Jamie told me that you’re gonna adopt me, but then Kolivan came and—and—Aren’t you guys…  _ mad _ at me?”

 

“Keith”, Layla said, her voice serious. “We’re foster parents. We  _ want _ our kids find a loving family and forever home.”

 

“Yeah, and we’re happy that you find your own loving family, Keith”, Jamie smiled.

 

At that, Keith began to cry.

 

“We’re so proud of you, Keith”, Layla said, her voice cracking as she pulled him into a hug. “We’re so proud and happy for you. You found someone who loves you and opens their heart for you—we’re just so happy for you, Keith, you don’t even believe.”

 

“Yeah. Seven months ago, you were all sad and grieving, and look at you now”, Jamie added, wrapping her arms around both Layla and Keith. She sniffled and gave Keith’s hair a thorough ruffling. “You’re gonna do something really great, lil’ man.”

 

Even as the tears kept streaming down his face, Keith smiled so wide his cheeks hurt. He tightened his grip around Jamie and Layla, pouring all his love and gratitude, and wished they could feel it too.

 

—

 

That morning, Layla went all out with the breakfast. There were normal muffins for Jamie and Mattie, and paleo muffins for everyone else. On the stove, loads of bacon strips were sizzling along with a pan of veggie omelette. In the oven, a fresh batch of muffins were baking—they were for Keith and Kolivan to eat on their trip.

 

Nina looked like she was trying so hard not to cry, but she cried anyway whenever Keith gave her shoulder three squeezes. She hugged Keith tight and took a lot of pictures of him. 

 

“I can’t believe you got adopted before me,  _ hermano _ ”, she said, wiping tears away from her eyes. “I thought I’d be the first, with the Olsens taking me at the end of the year.”

 

Keith remembered the Olsens—Mr. and Mrs. Olsen were a nice couple who wanted to adopt Nina, but they were going to prepare everything first before they could take her away. Mattie too already found a family who wanted to adopt him.

 

“This house is gonna be so empty without you kids”, Jamie said with a sad smile.

 

“And that’s good! We’re really happy for you kids”, Layla added. She placed her hand on Jamie and smiled at her. “But yeah, we won’t ever forget you.”

 

“I won’t forget you too”, Keith told Layla. How would he? Layla and Jamie were the first and probably the best mother figures he ever had in his life so far. They opened their home and their heart for him, even though they didn’t really understand what to do about his freakishness or his trauma—yet still, they gave him the love of a mother that he’d never felt before.

 

— 

 

At noon, Jamie drove Keith and the others to the rocks beyond the town. Kolivan was already waiting for them at the same ravine from two weeks ago, their ship finally uncloaked. Its engine was on and the ship was floating several inch above the ground.

 

Keith’s stuff fit in three cardboard boxes; Keith’s own clothes, his dad’s books, and photo albums. Kolivan helped Jamie and Layla load them onto the ship. Once that was done, Jamie pulled Keith aside and gave him a tight hug.

 

“Here”, Jamie handed a small thing wrapped in clean white clothes. Keith looked up to her, confused, but she merely urged him to open it—so he did. Inside it was a familiar blade, dark with strange, purple sigil on its hilt. Keith’s eyes widened as he saw it.

 

“Your mother’s luxite blade”, Kolivan said when they walked over to Keith and Jamie. 

 

“What’s a luxite?” Keith asked.

 

“A special material came from a long-destroyed planet”, Kolivan answered. “It has unique property to recognize the life-force of its bearer.” They pointed at the glowing sigil on the hilt. “See this? Your mother’s blade is connected to her life-force, just like mine is. If she perished in the Quantum Abyss, the sigil would be dark and lifeless, until it claims you as its next bearer.”

 

Keith stared at the blade, afraid that it would go dark—but it didn’t and Keith wrapped it back. He handed it over to Kolivan.

 

“You’re giving it to me?” Kolivan asked, confused.

 

“I don’t wanna hurt myself”, Keith shrugged. As cool as having his own blade, Keith really didn’t wanna accidentally hurt himself just because he was playing with an actual weapon. “I trust you.”

 

Kolivan smiled, before disappearing into the ship’s cargo. They wanted to give Keith and his family some privacy, Keith realized, and he was thankful of it.

 

“So”, Keith said, turning to Jamie, Layla, Nina, and Mattie. “I guess this is goodbye.”

 

“Yeah, I guess”, Jamie said, before rushing to hug him. “I'm gonna miss you so bad,  _ Keith _ .”

 

Keith blinked before his eyes went teary eyed. It was one of the rare occasion Jamie called him by his name and… Keith didn’t know what to say. Before he could think of a proper response, though, the others joined in a group hug.

 

“I'm gonna miss you too”, Mattie cried.

 

“We all are, Keith”, Layla added, kissing the top of his head. “You be good with Kolivan, okay? Listen to what they say.”

 

“I will”, Keith promised. 

 

“Don’t you dare forget me,  _ hermano _ !” Nina cried. 

 

“I won’t, lil’ sis.” Keith hugged her and gave her shoulder three squeezes. It made her cry harder, much to Keith’s panic.

 

“Keith”, Kolivan called. They were already waiting at the bottom of the ramp. “Do you need more time?”

 

Keith turned back to his family, the one he stayed with for the last eight months, and for a brief moment regretted his reclusive phase after his dad died. He could’ve gotten to know them more, if he stopped being such a sadsack sooner.

 

With a heavy heart, Keith let go of the hug and walked towards the ship. Towards  _ Kolivan _ .

 

“No, I’m ready.”

 

— 

 

When Keith was eight, he learned about a lot of things in a short period of time. Like the fact that life existed beyond Earth, for example, or that he was part-alien—part- _ Galra _ . That he had two foster mothers, two foster siblings, and one uncle slash guardian; all who loved him unconditionally and so strongly.

 

He was no longer alone.

**Author's Note:**

> lemme know what you think in the comment or go scream @ [my tumblr](https://xblackpaladin.tumblr.com) :3


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